''The Scarlet Letter'' is a 1979 miniseries based on the 1850 novel of the same name by

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

: it aired on WGBH from March 3, 1979 to March 24, 1979. The series is four episodes long, 60 minutes each. Part 2 won the 1979 Emmy Award for Outstanding Video Tape Editing for a Limited Series or Special for film editors

Ken Denisoff Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * Ken (album), ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * Ken (film), ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * Ken (magazine), ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine ...

Janet McFadden Janet may refer to: Names * Janet (given name) * Janet (French singer) (1939–2011) Surname * Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table * Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psych ...

, and

Tucker Wiard Tucker Wiard (November 10, 1941 – August 28, 2022) was an American television editor. He won five Primetime Emmy Awards and was nominated for six more in the category Primetime Emmy Awards#Picture editing, Outstanding Picture Editing. Wiard die ...

. In 1979, when most literary programs were being produced in the United Kingdom,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

public television Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

station WGBH decided to produce a homegrown literary classic of its own. The result was this version of Hawthorne's enduring novel of

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. ...

America in search of its soul.

Hester Prynne Hester Prynne is the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel ''The Scarlet Letter''. She is portrayed as a woman condemned by her Puritan neighbors. The character has been called "among the first and most important female protagonists in ...

becomes stigmatized after committing

adultery Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...

, and is doomed to live with the consequences forever. Hawthorne's themes, the nature of sin, social hypocrisy, and community repression, still reverberate through American society. Hester Prynne (

Meg Foster Margaret Foster is an American film and television actress. Some of her many roles were in the 1979 TV miniseries version of ''The Scarlet Letter'', and the films ''Ticket to Heaven'', ''The Osterman Weekend'', and '' They Live''. Early years F ...

) is a young, Puritan woman who commits adultery while her husband is in Europe, and, upon the birth of her illegitimate child, is subsequently condemned to wear a scarlet "A" for the rest of her life. Her secret partner, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, ( John Heard) writhes in private torment as he deals with hiding his sin. The person of Hester's husband, Roger Chillingworth ( Kevin Conway) completes this grim triangle as the mysterious situation leads to a shattering climax. The story follows the main characters as they grapple with

sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

, forgiveness, and redemption.

Cast

Josef Sommer Maximilian Josef Sommer (born June 26, 1934) is a retired German-American stage, television, and film actor. Early life He was born in Greifswald, Germany, and raised in North Carolina, the son of Elisabeth and Clemens Sommer, a professor of Art ...

* Elisa Erali as Pearl Prynne * John Heard as Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale * Kevin Conway as Roger Chillingworth *

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the " Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the ...

as the Rev. Mr. Wilson

Crew

*Directed by Rick Hauser *Writing credits:

, Allan Knee, and Alvin Sapinsley *Produced by Rick Hauser and

Herbert Hirschman Herbert Hirschman (April 13, 1914 – July 3, 1985) was an American television producer and director. He produced shows as '' Perry Mason'' and the fourth season of ''The Twilight Zone''. Hirschman died in July 1985 of an illness A d ...

*Original music by John Morris *Cinematography by Bob Collins *Film editing by

, and

References

External links

* 1970s American television miniseries Adultery in television Films based on The Scarlet Letter Films scored by John Morris Television series by WGBH {{PBS-stub