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The Scarlet Letter (1995)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 3/10
Reviews Counted: 35
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 30

No consensus yet.

Average Rating: 3.6/10
Critic Reviews: 12
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 11

No consensus yet.

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Average Rating: 2.8/5
User Ratings: 19,711

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Movie Info

Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel of hypocrisy among America's pilgrims was brought to the screen by director Roland Joffe in this 1995 feature. Demi Moore stars as Hester Prynne, a new arrival to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1666. Prynne, who interacts freely with slaves and Quakers and wears revealing garb, is something of a free thinker and off-putting to the uptight locals. She awaits the arrival of her husband, Roger (Robert Duvall), but he is reported killed. One person who does not

R, 2 hr. 15 min.

Romance, Drama

Directed By: Roland Joff�

In Theaters: Oct 13, 1995 Wide

On DVD: Jun 4, 2002

Cast

Demi Moore
Hester Prynne
Gary Oldman
Arthur Dimmesdale
Robert Duvall
Roger Chillingworth
Robert Prosky
Horace Stonehall
Edward Hardwicke
John Bellingham
Joan Plowright
Harriet Hibbons
George Aguilar
Johnny Sassamon
Sarah Campbell
Prudence Stonehall
Roy Dotrice
Thomas Cheever
Dana Ivey
Meredith Stonehall
Judd Jones
Mr. Bobbin
Jodhi May
Pearl
Diane Salinger
Margaret Bellingham
Eric Schweig
Metacomet
Malcolm Storry
Major Dunsmuir
Francie Swift
Sally Short
Sheldon Peters Wolfchild
Moskeegee
Tim Woodward
Brewster Stonehall
Amy Wright
Goody Gotwick
Jim Bearden
Goodman Mortimer
Nicholas Rice
The Clerk
Lisa Jolliff-Andoh
Mituba
Len Doncheff
Trader
Marguerite McNeil
Widow Wormser

Critic Reviews for The Scarlet Letter

All Critics (36) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (5) | Rotten (30) | DVD (1)

"Freely adapted from the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne," the credits say cautiously. I'll say.

August 4, 2009 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader

| Comment

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

A very '90s take on a 1660s tale written in 1850, as a picture of early colonial life it's about as convincing as Pocahontas.

March 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Todd McCarthy

Variety

Top Critic

If you've read the book you won't know the ending. Let's just say that Indians with flaming arrows come to the rescue. They manage to keep a straight face, which is more than anyone in the audience will be able to do.

August 30, 2004 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comment

Caryn James

New York Times

Top Critic

This is a well-acted, beautiful movie.

June 18, 2002 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle

| Comment

Peter Stack

San Francisco Chronicle

Top Critic

Though it's unclear what the audience would be for a faithful rendition of the Hawthorne novel, the question of who would ever want to see this one is murkier still.

February 13, 2001 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times

| Comment

Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

Top Critic

Picture yourself trudging out of the theater with a letter "D" (for "disappointment") firmly pinned to your chest.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Top Critic

Slaughter, sin, and sex in classic-turned-movie misfire.

November 16, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

| Comment

Charles Cassady

Common Sense Media

For all the talent on display, this is a waste of movie.

August 4, 2009 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine

| Comment

Empire Magazine

Rage, love, defiance, confusion, fear -- Moore just sticks out her chin and makes her eyes brim with tears. She's the stolidly immovable object at the film's center, and there's no getting around her.

August 4, 2009 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide

| Comment (1)

Maitland McDonagh

TV Guide's Movie Guide

Despite the cast taking themselves very seriously indeed, The Scarlet Letter is a great comic turn, complete with cod-accents and other period jiggery-pokery.

August 4, 2009 Full Review Source: Film4

| Comment

Film4

Not only does the film bear little resemblance to the source novel, but it's cluttered with ridiculous symbolism.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment

Derek Adams

Time Out

Oh, Roland Joff�, thy free adaptation of the Hawthorne classic didst produce abudant derisive laughter. Didst thou once direct 'The Killing Fields?'

May 19, 2005 Comment

Dan Lybarger

Nitrate Online

For anyone who's ever wondered why Hawthorne left out the mute servants, red cockatoos, and rolls in the proverbial hay. As Hawthorne himself would say: "Ignominious!"

August 31, 2004 Comment

Nick Davis

Nick's Flick Picks

A hysterically incompetent camp classic, highly recommended for English department faculty parties.

May 26, 2004 Comment

Rob Vaux

Flipside Movie Emporium

Love the book or hate it, but no novel deserves the shabby treatment that director Roland Joff� and screenwriter Douglas Day Stewart have given the classic novel.

January 13, 2004 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com

| Comment

Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

Corny, heavy-handed, but definitely romantic, The Scarlet Letter is a mindless piece of historical amusement.

May 14, 2003 Comment