The Scarlet Letter

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• 1995
• 2 hr 15 mins
• Drama
• R

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In 1667, in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, tensions simmer between the local Puritan settlers and the neighboring Algonquian tribe. As Metacomet succeeds as the tribal chief during his father's funeral pyre, a new English colonist, Hester Prynne, arrives from overseas. While awaiting the return of her older husband, Roger Prynne, who is believed to be lost or dead following a mission to assist other settlers, Hester forms a romantic relationship with a young minister, Arthur Dimmesdale. When news emerges suggesting Roger Prynne has likely died, Hester and Dimmesdale pursue their relationship, and Hester becomes pregnant. Upon discovery of her pregnancy, Hester is imprisoned for adultery. Although Dimmesdale initially resolves to confess his part in the affair, Hester persuades him to remain silent. She is publicly sentenced to wear a scarlet letter "A" for adultery and is shunned by the community, followed constantly by a drummer boy to mark her shame. Roger Prynne eventually returns, having survived being shipwrecked and held captive by Native Americans during his time away. Concealing his identity under the alias "Dr. Roger Chillingworth," he begins to search for Hester's lover. In an effort to frame the Algonquian, Chillingworth murders and scalps a settler outside Hester's home. The crime provokes conflict, and the colonists declare war on the Algonquian. Overwhelmed by guilt for sparking the violence, Chillingworth dies by suicide. Amid the chaos, Hester is nearly executed alongside others but is saved when Dimmesdale publicly confesses that he is the father of her child. As he prepares to face punishment, the Algonquian launch an attack on the colony. Both sides suffer heavy losses, and in the aftermath, colonial leaders focus more on suppressing news of the conflict than on continuing Hester's persecution. Hester removes her scarlet letter and leaves Massachusetts with Dimmesdale, heading south toward Carolina.