The Scarlet Letter Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

The Scarlet Letter Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 19, 2023

There's a popular meme that states "if pro is the opposite of con, what is the opposite of progress?", and in that regard, our elected officials can often provide us "unwashed masses" with unexpected doses of humor at times. News junkies may recall coverage of one female member of the House of Representatives recently showing up with a giant "A" affixed to her clothing, ostensibly in protest to how she felt she was being treated in the wake of the relatively recent fracas involving the removal of the Speaker. Perhaps surprisingly given the fractious nature of American politics, several pundits on both sides of the political aisle pointed out that she may have made an unforced error (any metaphorical intent notwithstanding), since no one was on record as having accused this particular member of having committed adultery, which of course is what "the scarlet letter" under discussion is all about. The Scarlet Letter was one of the first "mass market bestsellers" in American literary history, but kind of strangely, it hasn't been particularly well served by at least some of the many adaptations for both film and television that it has fostered. This 1934 production has some historical interest, including the last film performance of silent superstar Colleen Moore, but it may suffer from what was then the nascent Production Code, which forced the story into constraints that Nathaniel Hawthorne's original formulation arguably presented with more nuance and maybe even ambiguity in terms of what constitutes "morality".

The religious history of the United States has often been the subject of controversy, at least courtesy of hindsight, but it's fascinating to think of Nathaniel Hawthorne deciding to "revisit" a timeline about a century (more or less) prior to when he was writing The Scarlet Letter in the mid 19th century, offering a "look back" that was far from being rosy colored and/or nostalgic for a "kinder, gentler" age. What's even more fascinating and maybe even remarkable is how critical Hawthorne's eye was as he looked back, obviously wanting then "contemporary" audiences to reevaluate their own perceptions of what may or may not constitute sin, guilt and/or community standards. Unfortunately, this particular iteration of The Scarlet Letter isn't just hampered by a subtext which seems to suggest the dalliance between Hester Prynne (Colleen Moore) and Arthur Dimmesdale (Hardie Albright) requires some kind of punishing comeuppance, but also due to several unnecessary and at times positively jarring interstitials ostensibly offering "comedy relief" courtesy of two buffoonish characters portrayed by Alan Hale and William Kent, in what are almost Laurel & Hardy routines at times.

As some of the supplements mention in passing, there's a rather static quality to this film, which understandably is due at least in part to then still relatively early sound technology, but there are also some decently done crowd scenes that belie what was evidently a rather small budget from the largely forgotten Majestic Studios. The production has some other "trivia" tidbits, including the fact that Hester's husband Roger Chillingsworth is portrayed by Henry B. Walthall, who essayed the same role in the 1926 silent version of The Scarlet Letter which starred Lillian Gish and which was directed by none other than Victor Sjöström. That version, like this one, is held at the UCLA Film & Television Archive and frankly may have been a better choice for a release like this.

One of the more gobsmacking trivia items may be the history another "none other than" personage had with this version, namely Samuel M. Sherman, who has been such a regular feature in releases like Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection. That decided case of "strange bedfellows" is covered in some of the really appealing supplements included on this release, which may help to counterweigh some deficits in the actual feature film.

The Scarlet Letter Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Scarlet Letter is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Masters with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. Buried in the "fine print" of the insert booklet is an annotation stating that the "original 35mm camera negative was supplied and preserved by Sam Sherman", and that a "4K 35mm film scan" was done by Blackhawk Films. This is a somewhat variable looking presentation which may be understandably due in part to both its age and any curating variances it may have endured, but at its best, it's really rather nice looking, with well defined contrast and at least passable detail levels. The bulk of the transfer struck me as just a tad too dark looking overall, though that probably only helps to emphasize already pretty inky blacks. As can be made out in several of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, there's a pretty wide gamut in terms of clarity, fine detail levels and grain resolution. There are a number of noticeable scratches and other blemishes that dot the presentation, including a few hairline scratches that seem like they could have been ameliorated if not outright eliminated with a bit of digital magic (look toward the left side of Chillingsworth's face in screenshot 7 for just one example, though there are others in some other screenshots). I'm not sure if this was an intentional effect or some unfixable anomaly on the negative, but several scenes have a kind of soft focus halo around the edges of the frame, as if an old style iris were about to be employed.

The Scarlet Letter Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Scarlet Letter features LPCM 2.0 Mono audio that preserves a by current standards antiquated soundtrack with decent precision, though the vagaries of time and tide mean that this track is understandably shallow and kind of hollow sounding at time. There's some background noise and dynamic range is pretty flat throughout, but dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Scarlet Letter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary for The Scarlet Letter is by Jason A. Ney and can be accessed under the Setup Menu. Ney is joined by "special guest star" Cora Sue Collins, who portrayed little Pearl in the film. Commendably, Film Masters offers separate subtitles for the commentary.


• Salem and The Scarlet Letter (HD; 10:09) is written and directed by Samuel M. Sherman and narrated by John Carradine, and gives some historical background and context, along with some fun (then) current footage of the famous city.


• A Sin of Passion: Hawthorne on Film (HD; 15:24) features Justin Humphreys discussing some perhaps unexpected connections, including to the legendary Roger Corman Poe films.


• Revealing The Scarlet Letter (HD; 19:18) is a rather sweet piece with Samuel M. Sherman recounting his kind of amazing history with this film.


• Restored 1965 Trailer for The Scarlet Letter (HD; 1:36)

Additionally Film Masters provides a nicely appointed insert booklet containing an interesting essay by Jason A. Ney focusing on Colleen Moore.

The Scarlet Letter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Scarlet Letter is a rather fascinating historical curio, if for no other reason than the completely unexpected Samuel M. Sherman connection, but as a film it's frankly kind of dramatically inert and is hobbled by needless comedy bits and some "silent movie" style overacting. Technical merits are generally decent, though both video and audio encounter some hurdles. Supplements are outstanding on this release, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.