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).

For thoughts on The Scarlet Letter (1934), please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

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Video Quality

The Scarlet Letter (1934) makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Film Masters with a brand new 1080p master in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio restored from a 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative and a preservation print courtesy of UCLA. While there are some deficiencies given the age of the source, the transfer supplies a very strong visual presentation. The black-and-white photography shimmers in high definition with natural grain intact and resolved well throughout.

Print damage is not a significant issue here with only intermittent nicks and scratches showing up on screen. There are thankfully very few moments where anything appears clumpy or swarming. The grain can be quite fine, but it has not been scrubbed free of texture. The contrast is robust, but you will experience fleeting moments of density fluctuation and clarity in the print. Black levels are hefty with no egregious occurrences of black crush or compression artifacts. There is a welcome amount of detail present with nice texture on the outfits and within the environment. Film Masters continues to be one of the more exciting new labels on the scene.

Audio Quality

The film comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track that handles the story as well as can be expected given the source. The track presents with a minor amount of age-related wear and tear including some light hissing and crackles that assuredly date back to the source elements. Dialogue and background noises work well with all competing elements. The music never clips the dialogue or other important information, but it does sound fragile at its highest peaks. Film Masters has done their best to provide the most consistent track possible for this effort. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film and commentary track.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Professor, Jason A. Ney leads a very informative commentary track with a drop-in from actress Cora Sue Collins in which they discuss the history of the film, its relation to the Hayes Code, how it fares as a feat of adaptation, what changed for the movie version, the background of the creative figures involved, how this film fits into the period in which it was released, the notable elements of the feature and more.

Salem and the Scarlet Letter Featurette: A 10-minute piece narrated by John Carradine is provided here which takes a look at the town of Salem, Massachusetts, and its rich and tortured history.

A Sin of Passion – Hawthorne On Film Documentary: A nearly 16-minute look at the legacy of Nathaniel Hawthorne on screen in contrast to more in-demand writers like Edgar Allan Poe. This piece makes a case for why the author’s work is essential cinematic fodder with great analysis from film historian Justin Humphreys.

Revealing The Scarlet Letter with Sam Sherman: A nearly 20-minute piece with producer Sam Sherman in which he discusses his experience with The Scarlet Letter, how he came into the possession of the negative, the 1960s re-release of the film, and more.

Restored 1965 Trailer: The minute-and-a-half restored 1965 trailer for the film is provided here.

Booklet: A multi-page booklet is provided featuring the essay “A Doll’s House: Silent Stardom, The Sound Age, and Second Acts” from Jason A. Ney which details the life and career of Colleen Moore.

Final Thoughts

The Scarlet Letter (1934) may not be the most strict adaptation of the original Nathaniel Hawthorne source material, but it does a fine job of capturing the general spirit of the text. Colleen Moore does a great job in the lead role, and the ensemble generally complements her well. There are stretches when the narrative can feel a bit toothless, but overall it keeps things intriguing. Film Masters has released a Blu-Ray featuring a very good A/V presentation and enjoyable special features. If you are a fan of the story, this is worth a look. Recommended

The Scarlet Letter (1934) will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 21, 2023.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Film Masters has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.