Overview: Colleen Moore stars as Hester Prynne in this 1934 version of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic tale of sin and redemption! Bearing a child out of wedlock was punishable in 17th century Massachusetts by being forced to wear a scarlet letter A, but unwed mother Hester, who was born to a noble family, is determined to rise above her situation.

Hardie Albright, Alan Hale, and William Farnum also star for director Robert G. Vignola, while the recreation of old Puritan Boston was by art director Frank Dexter (Baby Face Morgan, Northwest Trail).

Blu-ray Verdict: Interestingly enough, this is the earliest documented telecast of this film, which occurred Monday 10th January 1944 on New York City’s pioneer television station WNBT (Channel 1).

It also marked the farewell performance of Colleen Moore who retired from the screen rather than continue in sound where she hadn’t done as well as in silent films.

An independent outfit called Majestic Pictures did this one and to give it a nice ring of authenticity it was filmed at what now would be called a Puritan theme park set in Salem, Massachusetts. Author Nathaniel Hawthorne knew this culture well, one of his ancestors was the infamous Judge Hathorne of the Salem Witch Trials which occurred a couple of generations later.

These solemn and dour people who while the action of this film is taking place, 1642-1647, were also busy affecting a revolution over in the mother country that brought Oliver Cromwell to power eventually. Colleen Moore whose husband Henry B. Walthall had disappeared into the American wilderness some years before has an affair which produces a young girl child who is played by Cora Sue Collins.

But this Puritan Society is hard on unwed mothers and the town council deems her punishment to be that she be forced to wear a Scarlett Letter sewn to her garments of dress. Not unlike Jews forced to wear a yellow star of David or gays forced to wear the pink triangle under the Nazis. Walthall returns just in time to see this punishment pronounced, but he does not divulge his identity and he’s welcomed in the community because he’s a doctor.

Moore will not divulge the identity of the father and that would really rock this smug community as it is the town’s pastor, Reverend Hardie Albright. Even back then we had people of the cloth who were not role models. The problem is that Albright is a believer and he’s really just human in a society that does not understand or tolerate human weakness. In the end it destroys him.

The whole novel with all its subtle nuances could not be filmed in a 70 minute running time. Yet I think the film managed to convey all that Hawthorne had to say on the subject. Being an independent film, it lacked production values a big studio could offer. Still the location filming made up for a lot of that. [B.K.]

Special Features:
Salem and the Scarlet Letter: Original Production narrated by John Carradine
Full Commentary track by Professor, Jason A. Ney
Essay in full color inserted booklet, by Professor, Jason A. Ney
A Sin of Passion: Hawthorne in Film, from Ballyhoo Motion Pictures with interview from author, Justin Humphreys
Revealing the Scarlet Letter, featuring a new interview with producer, Sam Sherman
Original, restored, trailer for the film