Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" has been filmed many times, from the excellent 1926 silent classic with Lillian Gish to the ridiculous R-rated romp - complete with happy ending - that starred Demi Moore just three years ago.
But I have always thought the definitive adaptation was the four-hour PBS television version that first aired in 1979 . . . despite my not having seen it since its initial airing nearly 20 years ago.Now, watching it again in its first-ever video release (WGBH Boston Video, two tapes, $39.95), there is no question in my mind that this "Scarlet Letter" remains at the top of the list of the many cinematic adaptations of Hawthorne's classic.
Slavishly faithful to the book, the film is periodically narrated by Hawthorne himself, who also provides an onscreen introduction (in the form of actor Josef Sommer).
Set in 17th-century Salem, Mass., it's the story of Hester Prynne (Meg Foster) being forced to wear the red letter "A" on the breast of her dress as penance for adultery, and for refusing to name the father of her child.
Meanwhile, the Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale (John Heard) wanders around the town square with his head hanging low, and a stranger, a doctor named Roger Chillingworth (Kevin Conway) shows up.
The latter is really Hester's husband back from the dead, after having been missing at sea. And over the next seven years he will ingratiate himself to the townfolk, and more specifically to Rev. Dimmesdale - observing and commenting on events, and perhaps manipulating them as well.
There is depth and power in this "Scarlet Letter," as it refuses to deal in black-and-white, good-and-evil stereotypes. Director Rick Hauser has also re-created Puritan New England with an eye for period detail and an ear for period speech patterns.
And the cast is perfect: Foster's clear-blue eyes and faraway look make for a wonderfully ethereal Hester Prynne; Heard, who always looks a bit tortured, makes Dimmesdale both pitiable and sympathetic; and Conway all but steals the show as Chillingworth.
On the downside, 1998 audiences, weaned on quick-edit, zippy-camera, rock-'em-sock-'em entertainment, may be put off by the slow, talky pacing. And for some reason, Hauser shot the melodrama on high-definition videotape instead of film, which takes some getting used to.
"The Scarlet Letter" is a four-episode, two-tape set, but instead of being edited together, each segment is on display exactly as it aired on four separate nights in 1979, complete with redundant "previews" of what's coming up in the next episode. (If it had been re-edited to two parts, this "4-hour" movie would actually be just over 3 hours.) What's more, the brief "making-of" documentaries are a distraction between segments.
But these complaints are carping, since the show itself is an enthralling, literate interpretation of one of the great American novels.
"The Scarlet Letter" may be ordered by phoning 1-800-255-9424, or by writing WGBH Boston Video, P.O. Box 2284, South Burlington, VT 05407-2284.