I love this movie but ... am I the only one who wanted the reverand to show some backbone and just fess up right away? Yes, I know, it would not only have shortened the movie but the whole point of angst, betrayl, anger and personal toil would have been throw out the window. Still ...
Lovely and wonderful chemistry between the two leads. They should have done far more movies together.
Yes! He was the only part of the movie I wasn't crazy about. I know they couldn't help it, b/c that's the way it happened in the book. Maybe if the actor had played it differently. He always looked like he was gonna cry or pass out. Several times I wanted Hester to kick him in the groin for being a weenie. But I guess Hawthorne didn't approve of groin-kicking. I do agree they had great chemistry especially in the 1st half of the movie before all the tragedy.
You live in the ocean cuz you ain't got no job!share
OK, the last post is going on four years old, but what the hell....
There's no groin kicking in this film because it wasn't supposed to be a feel good chick flick, starring spunky Drew Barrymore as Hester. Arthur Dimmsdale's inability to publicly accept blame, despite knowing this would be the right thing to do, made him a very human character. Hester wanted to keep Pearl's paternity a secret not just because she loved the Arthur, but because she felt he was a fair and compassionate spiritual leader nonwithstanding his lapse with her. In other words, she realiazed it wasn't all about them.
It's been quite a while since I read the novel, but I remember that at the beginning, while Hester is suffering the humiliation of standing on the scaffold with baby Pearl wearing the scarlet letter, Arthur Dimmsdales begs Hester to reveal Pearl's father so that he, too, could share the blame. Arthur wanted to share Hester's punishment, but did not have the guts to confess his part. That meant he suffered in silence, trying to atone for his sin. When he realized that he was dying, he climbed the scaffold and came clean.
Hester was a very strong woman. She preferred to accept all the blame than to let Arthur's ministry, which was, in spite of his sin, truly Christian and compassionate to his flock.
It is interesting that at the climax, when Arthur confesses and tears open his shirt to reveal his own scarlet "A", that Hawthorne never tells the reader whether that "A" is actually on Arthur's chest or if it is only in his mind.
Oh, Lillian Gish and her Scarlet Letter co-star did make another film together, a western entitled "The Wind."
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Here comes another fresh reply to an old post ---
I haven't read the book (but I want to), but in the film to me it looked like Dimmesdale was willing to confess everything, but it was Hester who forbid him - there are two notable scenes showing this (I. When Dimmesdale returns from England and finds out what happened, he goes to Hester and even says 'I am the guilty one!', but she says to him not to tell anything to anyone, because he hasn't the right to let everyone down by revealing something like that of himself II. When Hester is standing on the scaffold and you see how Dimmesdale is on the verge of confessing, how his face shows that he can't bear it any longer and Hesters distressed eyes changes to a look of - Don't you dare! (or even 'Shut up!'..:)) Anyhow, that's how I interpreted it. So I wouldn't say Dimmesdale is a coward or anything, based on the movie, since it was Hester who didn't want him to tell. But I haven't read the book, maybe his character is different there. Now you only see his suffering and how he is tormented by guilt.
All in all, it's a superb movie I think, with great performances by both Gish and Hanson.
"Do you like me more than you don't like me or do you not like me more than you do?"
I agree with this; he wanted to confess but she stopped him. With regard to not having a backbone, should that be true his "A" would not have been completed....
I have not read the book either nor seen any other movies about "The Scarlet Letter", however it seems in that she was at least in part looking out for the same people who condemned her, giving us something more to ponder IMO should that be true.
Imagine for example what they would be saying through those speaking tubes after knowing the minister himself was "knowledgeable" and had given in to temptation!!!!
Agree also that it is a great movie, with a great cast....even the tiny baby knew just when to reach for daddy.
The Savages!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKvd4tMkFHc
In the book he is essentially a coward. Hester is a thousand times stronger than Dimmesdale.
shareThe movie was faithful to the book in depicting Dimmesdale as fundamentally weak. By the way, the bug-eyed acting job by the actor portraying Dimmesdale was just downright irritating. He apparently believed expressions had to be hugely exaggerated to work in silent film.
share"Bug-eyed???" That's a bit of an exaggeration, methinks. Hanson acquitted himself just fine IMHO, but for even a detractor to call him "bug-eyed" is stretching it.
Okay folks, show's over, nothing to see here!
THANK YOU! I thought there were a few fine performances, such as that of the actor who played the Governor, but Hanson's performance was over-rated, over-appreciated and over-dramatic. Hanson appeared to think that showing great emotion meant opening his eyelids so wide I thought his eyes would fall out, and then holding his hand to his forehead. His performance in this film was even more noticeably over-dramatic because of Gish's simple portrayal of Hester.
I have read that Hanson was a fine stage actor and well-loved in Scandinavia and Europe. But I also read this particular film lost money and I would think he is part of the reason why that happened. I don't know how much influence the director had during the filming - I have read that Ms. Gish was powerful regarding all aspects of her films. I am curious at the choice of Larson and many other cast members who over-played their parts as if they were four-year old children. A good director would have reigned them in. Did Ms. Gish really think this was a good film?
I think "bug-eyed" adequately describes Hanson.
Human Rights: Know Them, Demand Them, Defend Them
Bug-eyed or not, he was very handsome. I can see why he was a favorite leading man of Miss Gish's.
shareThe Rev wasn't Catholic (likely protestant, Church Of England...) so why not just marry her since he did not appear married to another and he seemed to love her? Of course, that would have profoundly altered the whole story...but it seems like an obvious solution.
Just sayin'... :)
Hester was married to Roger Prynne (Chillingsworth) so she committed adultery. Roger changes his name so he could seek revenge on the man who violated his wife.
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