Movie Review

The Scarlet Letter (1995)

EW's GRADE
C

Details Rated: R; Length: 135 Minutes; Genre: Drama; With: Robert Duvall, Demi Moore and Gary Oldman

The Scarlett Letter (R) It doesn't adapt Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel so much as give it a makeover. Demi Moore, her hair hanging down in free-spirited ringlets, is Hester Prynne, who arrives on the shores of Puritan Massachusetts, minus her husband (Robert Duvall), and falls in love with the Reverend Dimmesdale (Gary Oldman). When she gets pregnant, she is forced to wear the scorn of her fellows by walking around with an embroidered red A on her bosom. With its dewy-eyed love story and its ''action'' climax pitting settlers against noble Native Americans, Roland Joffa's film is a ponderously overstuffed package. Moore brandishes her scarlet letter snootily, as if she'd been forced to wear something from last year's fashion collections. C

Originally posted Oct 27, 1995 Published in issue #298 Oct 27, 1995 Order article reprints
You Might Also Like

Add your comment

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.

500 characters remaining
Advertisement