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14 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Should be required viewing in high schools along with the novel, 18 July 2005
Author: jpb58 from United States

Victor Sjöström's The Scarlet Letter is a masterpiece. It should be put on DVD for all to enjoy, even if parts of the film have to be supplemented with 16mm dupes. TCM hasn't shown it in years, yet they show The Wind several times every year. It makes no sense. The Scarlet Letter is even better than The Wind. It should be shown in high school classes along with the required reading of the classic novel by Nathanial Hawthorne. It makes my head spin to think of how many thousands of children would fall in love with silent film if they were only exposed to this classic. I hate to think of them being exposed to that horrific Demi Moore version instead.

Lillian Gish is radiantly beautiful as the demure but sensual Hester Prynne. Lars Hanson makes an exceptionally wonderful minister Dimmesdale, fighting his romantic feelings for the lovely Hester. Henry B. Walthall makes a very believable and threatening Roger Prynne. Karl Dane adds some wonderful comic relief as Master Giles. The M-G-M production values here are exceptional and the cinematography by Henrik Sartov glows. I love the tracking shots of Hester and the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale walking together in the woods, and the lovely shot of their reflections in the lake as they confess their love for one another. Poetry on screen. The musical score for the film is quite beautiful, commissioned by TCM in 2000. The only parts that got on my nerves were the harpsichord sections. The flute, piano and violin parts were the best.

Your silent film viewing is not complete without seeing this classic. It's Lillian Gish's best film. Don't miss it.

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12 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
Beauty on film, 28 July 2005
10/10
Author: Damfino1895 from Pembrokeshire, Wales

After years of desperately wanting to see this movie I finally got hold of a copy of it. I put the DVD in the machine and waited with baited breath, was the film going to be as wonderful as the other commenters(?)had rated it? was it going to be anywhere near as good as the other Gish/Hanson/Seastrom collaboration "The Wind"? Well, the answer was that it was everything I hoped for and more. The version I saw a recording of TCM's restoration so the quality of the print veered from superb to not quite so good, but, in all honesty that did not matter as I soon got caught up in the story of Hester Prynne and the Rev. Dimmesdale. The acting was superb by all the cast, the direction was excellent and the whole setting of the movie was outstanding. It still amazes me who there are those who will not watch a silent movie, are you crazy? This version is a million miles better than the Demi Moore/Gary Oldman version made 70 years later, the chemistry between Gish and Hanson is perfect, the child actress Joyce Coad who plays Pearl, the love child, is delightful and Henry Walthall is menacing as Roger Chillingworth, Karl Dane also deserves mentioning as Master Giles in a slightly comedic role. The only downside to the movie and it had nothing to do with the movie itself was that I bought it from a guy who contacted me via IMDb and led me to believe it was his own print, I paid $52 for a TV recording off TCM. He is contacting people concerning vintage movies so beware if someone offers to get a print of that vintage movie you want to see.

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6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Anyone who considers silent film-making inferior to sound film-making needs to watch this film., 25 July 2004
10/10
Author: (GA-127) from USA

I watched this 1926 silent version and the 1934 sound version back to back, projected in a theater. The 1926 version was not only a more artfully shot film, but the depth of the characters and their relationships were immeasurably better. The story structure and additional focus on the developing relationship between Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale created enormous empathy, and the introduction of Roger Chillingworth was absolutely haunting and palpable. The 1934 sound version was deflated and unemotional by comparison. The 1926 film is very well cast, solidly structured, skillfully directed, and beautifully shot. The film's final scene will leave one almost breathless and wondering what will happen next in the lives of these settlers. It perfectly wraps this must see example of masterful storytelling. Anyone who considers silent film-making inferior to sound film-making needs to watch this film. You may be enlightened.

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7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Gish Resplendent, 1 May 2005
10/10
Author: Ron Oliver (revilorest@juno.com) from Forest Ranch, CA

A young mother is forced to wear THE SCARLET LETTER of adultery by her repressive society.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel is brought brilliantly to life in this excellent Silent film from MGM. Because the book was on the censored list, Lillian Gish, the era's finest actress, had to campaign vigorously with both the studio hierarchy and civic morality groups around the country to be allowed to make the film, causing her to ironically deal with the same sort of moral strictures her heroine would face in the film.

Her persistence paid off. She was able to obtain the services of director Victor Sjöström and actor Lars Hanson, both from Sweden. Sjöström instructed Miss Gish in the Scandinavian method of natural acting and he gave the film a blunt, no-nonsense look, crisp & clean, utilizing the Studio's excellent sets to the best of their advantage. Frances Marion, the most celebrated screenwriter of the day, was responsible for the literate script.

As the much harried Hester Prynne, Gish is beatific, her face radiating as if from an inner glow. She is playfully sweet as the community seamstress, wanting to cavort on the Sabbath or wear frilly clothing, only two of the actions proscribed & punishable by the Puritans' implacable rigidity. Later, with Hanson, she takes the viewer along as she delights in her new, hidden joy as he returns her love. Whether calmly standing on the scaffold to endure her shame, or fiercely protecting the unbaptized offspring of her forbidden passion, Gish never for an instant loses her grip on the pathetic character she's portraying.

Although he spoke no English, this was not a hindrance to Hanson. Playing the conflicted Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale, Boston's saintly parson, he paints the portrait of a good man literally dying of guilt, a weak man who dare not defend his wife & child. Hanson's face reflects his agony, his left hand twitching at his own breast where his secret symbol of shame is hidden. With Gish unobtainable in this world, he moves steadily towards the inevitable, and deeply poignant, conclusion.

Henry B. Walthall, Miss Lillian's costar in Griffith's THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915), has the supporting role of a mysterious stranger whose arrival in Boston foreshadows a dire denouement for the wretched lovers.

Also in the cast are Karl Dane who acts out the viewers' dismay at the solemnity of the Puritans, most especially in the person of vindictive gossip Marcelle Corday; there is no love lost between this pair. Movie mavens will recognize diminutive Polly Moran & dour Nora Cecil as rigid Puritan matrons, both uncredited.

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7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
A beautiful film no longer available, 3 November 2000
Author: Howard Faulkner (zzfaul@washburn.edu) from Topeka, Kansas

Victor Seastrom's magnificent retelling of Hawthorne's important novel is beautifully directed with an incredible performance by Lillian Gish. It is a disgrace that this film is not available in either VHS or DVD format (and especially so since the ludicrous version with Demi Moore is).

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5 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
There Just Aren't Enough Words....., 9 December 2002
Author: borsch

There just aren't enough words to describe the beautiful performances in this film....not that words are needed, then or now. Victor Seastrom's lovingly crafted scenes provide perfect visual frames for the transcendent performances of Lillian Gish and Lars Hanson. An artistic triumph for everyone concerned, and a bittersweet reminder of what was lost with the death of the art of the silent film. (The Turner restoration is alas, also bittersweet, as prints of wildly differing quality had to be "married" in order to create a substantially complete copy of the subject. Thus, viewers move from scenes that shimmer with pristine beauty to muddy, contrasty dupes. It's a tribute to the art of all concerned however, that this is not the distracting issue it might be with a lesser film. Like any work of art, you won't notice the cracks and flaws after a while if you're paying attention as you should. It's just a shame that the entire film isn't as mint-fresh as some of its scenes.)

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4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
On silent film poetry, 22 September 1998
10/10
Author: Doug-193 from United States

Exactly what we've lost since the end of the silent era is magnificently on display in Victor Seastrom's THE SCARLET LETTER: shimmering black and white photography of superbly composed and paced scenes capturing the essence of the American classic novel by Hawthorne, though certain details of the story have been altered and may annoy literary purists. This is not the novel but a separate work, more than a perceptive and intelligent picturization. Here is the great, lost art of silent screen acting, with Lillian Gish, unforgettable as Hesther Prynne, leading an accomplished cast. The result is pure visual poetry.

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Lilian Gish,the first thespian of the silent era..., 9 February 2004
Author: dbdumonteil

This is the definitive version of the classic:do yourself a favor and forget the Demi Moore one which was released a few years back.

Any actress who takes on the part will be fatally compared with Mrs Gish and the favorite thespian of MM Griffith and Sjostrom is so powerful that she would outshine anyone.At a time when an actor had to manage without words,every performance of Lilian Gish ("the wind" "orphans in the storm" ) is a tour de force in itself.Running the whole gamut of human feelings,her portrayal displays every nuance of her fragility,her desperation and her hope against hope .But I will not try to describe it:just watch yourself.

Sjostrom's directing stood the test of time hands down and the story is absorbing until the very end.

Never forget that Mrs Gish made a great come back in the talkies which culminated in her sensational old lady in "the night of the hunter" (1955)

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
One Of The Best Versions Ever, 27 February 2003
Author: GreekAnimeArtist from Quebec, Canada

I love this film for everything that it is. The story, the acting, the direction, everything about it is great.

The story revolves around Hester Prynne(Lillian Gish) and her love for the Reverrend Arthur Dimmesdale(Lars Hanson). Poor Hester is marked with the 'scarlet letter' when she gives birth to her lovechild with the bishop, and the bishop suffers on his own as his heart begins to fail on account of the guilt he feels.

The orchestration of this film helps a lot because the wonderful music helps you follow the story more and bring intensity. I love Lars Hanson's performance, he has the perfect profile for love scenes.

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4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
See it for what it is., 27 December 2002
Author: Pete H. Kanter (KanterTheKat@aol.com) from Central Ca

MGM's 1926 adaption of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" is, quite possibly, the best motion picture to have been released in the silent screen era's latter days. It can, undoubtedly, be looked upon as the best that two of that era's best actors-Lillian Gish & Lars Hanson-were paired up in. And, too, one very talented child actress, by the name of Joyce Coads, deserves to be given big credit. (She made only 10 more films before taking a final bow from the limelight; in her 2nd to last-"Devotion" 1931-she didn't get billing.) "The Scarlet Letter" should also be noted as, perhaps, the very best that Victor Seastrom- whom Charlie Chaplain had called "the best director in all the world" ever delivered. Just don't make the mistake of seeing this film as a good adaption of Hawthorne's novel. Because it's not. The film is a total of an hour and 20 minutes. Had it been really true to the novel, it just might have been longer than "Gone With The Wind." (And, speaking of the wind, as fate would have it, Seastrom directed only one more film in the US, which also teamed up Gish and Hanson: namely, "The Wind" (1928). MGM gave Seastrom his walking papers because he'd refused to give "The Wind" a happy ending. "The Scarlet Letter" of 1926 should also be seen by anyone who just might be under the mistaken impression that silent films can't leave a lasting impression.

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