The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter

1927 · 97 min · ★ 7.1 · Drama, History

In Puritan Boston, seamstress Hester Prynne and kindly Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale fall in love. After Dimmesdale must go away for a time to England, he returns to discover that Hester has given birth to their child and is the focus of local censure.

Directed by Victor Sjöström · Written by Frances Marion

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

2h 57m together

The Scarlet Letter

The Masks of the Devil

Both from Victor Sjöström.

More from Victor SjöströmSee all →

Synnöve SolbakkenSynnöve Solbakken · 1934
Synnöve Solbakken
★ 10.01934
MovieDrama
Swedish version of Norwegian National Author Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson's novel.
Wild StrawberriesWild Strawberries · 1957
Wild Strawberries
★ 8.11957
MovieDrama
Crotchety retired doctor Isak Borg travels from Stockholm to Lund, Sweden, with his unhappy daughter-in-law, Marianne, in order to receive an honorary degree from his alma mater. Along the way, they encounter a series of hitchhikers, each of whom causes the elderly doctor to muse upon the pleasures and failures of his own life. These include the vivacious young Sara, a dead ringer for the doctor's own first love.
Mot nya tiderMot nya tider · 1939
Mot nya tider
★ 8.01939
MovieDrama
A Swedish drama from 1939 about the social and political developments in Sweden from 1885 until the dissolution of the union in 1905. The year is 1885, Christina Nilsson sings "Fourteen years I believe certain that I was" in the Grand Hotel's Great Hall . She also sings from the balcony of the hotel and the panic arising among listeners outside the hotel. In Norway, talks about the dissolution of the Union and the Swedish socialists with Hjalmar Branting (Victor Sjöström) is in the lead for independence.
The Masks of the DevilThe Masks of the Devil · 1928
The Masks of the Devil
★ 8.01928
MovieDrama
Baron Reiner, a charming though unscrupulous Viennese aristocrat, becomes infatuated with Virginia, an innocent schoolgirl who is engaged to his best friend, Manfred. In order to seduce the girl, Reiner finances an oceanographic expedition for Manfred that takes him away for months (TCM).
Father and SonFather and Son · 1930
Father and Son
★ 8.01930
MovieDrama
About the wealthy Mr Markurell and his son, Johan, who is closing in on his graduation, and their life in the city of Wadköping. German language version.
The Phantom CarriageThe Phantom Carriage · 1921
The Phantom Carriage
★ 7.71921
MovieDramaFantasy
An alcoholic, abusive ne'er-do-well is shown the error of his ways through a legend that dooms the last person to die on New Year's Eve before the clock strikes twelve to take the reins of Death's chariot and work tirelessly collecting fresh souls for the next year.
He Who Gets SlappedHe Who Gets Slapped · 1924
He Who Gets Slapped
★ 7.51924
MovieDramaThriller
After a baron steals his scientific discoveries, runs away with his wife, and slaps him in public, a man joins a Parisian circus sideshow as a clown whose act consists of being slapped repeatedly and becomes infatuated with a showgirl colleague whose father intends to marry her off to the baron.
The WindThe Wind · 1928
The Wind
★ 7.31928
MovieDramaWestern
When Letty Mason relocates to West Texas, she finds herself unsettled by the ever-present wind and sand. Arriving at her new home at the ranch of her cousin, Beverly, she receives a surprisingly cold welcome from his wife, Cora. Soon tensions in the family and unwanted attention from a trio of suitors leave Letty increasingly disturbed.
The Divine WomanThe Divine Woman · 1928
The Divine Woman
★ 7.21928
MovieDramaRomance
[For 9 minute surviving fragment] Lucian, a soldier in Paris, is to ship out for Algiers at 9 that evening. He stops by for a last meal with his love, Marianne. He may be worried that when he leaves she will find another soldier to love. They argue then embrace and, when the clock strikes midnight, he is still in her arms. Is desertion in the cards? Can the relationship survive the military demands and a soldier's obligations? A lost film.
The Emperor of PortugalliaThe Emperor of Portugallia · 1944
The Emperor of Portugallia
★ 7.21944
MovieDrama
The poor farmer Jan is getting very old when he becomes father to the girl, Klara Gulla. First, he sees the child as a burden, but when he receives the newborn child in his arms he is overjoyed. He does everything in his power for her during her. But when she as an adult leaves home, Jan can not come over the loss of her.
The Outlaw and His WifeThe Outlaw and His Wife · 1918
The Outlaw and His Wife
★ 7.21918
MovieDrama
A stranger comes to work at widow Halla's farm. Halla and the stranger fall in love, but when he is revealed as Eyvind, an escaped thief forced into crime by his family's starvation, they flee and become two of the many outlaws of Iceland's mountains.
A Man There WasA Man There Was · 1917
A Man There Was
★ 7.11917
MovieDramaHistory
Terje Vigen, a sailor, suffers the loss of his family through the inflexibility of another man. Years later, when his enemy's family finds itself dependent on his benevolence, Terje must decide whether to avenge himself.
To JoyTo Joy · 1950
To Joy
★ 6.81950
MovieRomanceDrama
A young orchestra violinist’s fear of mediocrity and drive for artistic success strain his marriage to a fellow musician. Told largely in flashback and shaped by Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the film examines ambition, love, and loss in early Ingmar Bergman.
Under the Red RobeUnder the Red Robe · 1937
Under the Red Robe
★ 6.81937
MovieAdventureRomance
In 1620s France, dreaded swordsman Gil de Berault returns from carrying out a mission for Cardinal Richelieu, and finds the Cardinal worried about growing opposition from the Huguenots in the south. The Cardinal also warns de Berault that dueling has been outlawed, and will henceforth be punishable by death. Gil, however, promptly disobeys the law and is indeed sentenced to death. The Cardinal offers to cancel the sentence if de Berault is able to capture the duke who is organizing plans for an uprising. Gil travels to the duke's castle and is allowed to stay as a guest, but the duke's wife and sister immediately suspect that he is a spy. He and his servant still make good progress, until he falls in love with the duke's sister, which complicates everything.
CrisisCrisis · 1946
Crisis
★ 6.41946
MovieDramaRomance
A small-town piano teacher is shocked by the arrival of her foster daughter's biological mother, whose young lover soon follows and causes further disruption.
The Price of BetrayalThe Price of Betrayal · 1915
The Price of Betrayal
★ 6.41915
MovieDrama
An unemployed man encounters trouble when he tries to find a way to help his sick wife.

More Like This

Dial M for MurderDial M for Murder · 1954
Dial M for Murder
★ 8.01954
MovieThrillerCrime
When her American lover visits London, a wealthy woman’s jealous husband hatches a plan to murder her and inherit her fortune.
9 Songs9 Songs · 2004
9 Songs
★ 5.52004
MovieDramaMusic
Matt, a young glaciologist, soars across the vast, silent, icebound immensities of the South Pole as he recalls his love affair with Lisa. They meet at a mobbed rock concert in a vast music hall - London's Brixton Academy. They are in bed at night's end. Together, over a period of several months, they pursue a mutual sexual passion whose inevitable stages unfold in counterpoint to nine live-concert songs.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless MindEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind · 2004
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
★ 8.12004
MovieScience FictionDrama
Joel Barish, heartbroken that his girlfriend underwent a procedure to erase him from her memory, decides to do the same. However, as he watches his memories of her fade away, he realises that he still loves her, and may be too late to correct his mistake.
InsomniaInsomnia · 2002
Insomnia
★ 7.02002
MovieThrillerCrime
Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.
The EdukatorsThe Edukators · 2004
The Edukators
★ 7.22004
MovieDramaComedy
Three activists cobble together a kidnapping plot after they encounter a businessman in his home.
East of EdenEast of Eden · 1955
East of Eden
★ 7.51955
MovieDrama
In the Salinas Valley in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother for the love of their father. Cal is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, how to get ahead in business and in life, and how to relate to his estranged mother.
Boys Don't CryBoys Don't Cry · 1999
Boys Don't Cry
★ 7.41999
MovieCrimeDrama
A young transgender man explores his gender identity and searches for love in rural Nebraska.
The Cabinet of Dr. CaligariThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligari · 1920
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
★ 7.91920
MovieDramaHorror
Francis, a young man, recalls in his memory the horrible experiences he and his fiancée Jane recently went through. Francis and his friend Alan visit The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, an exhibit where the mysterious doctor shows the somnambulist Cesare, and awakens him for some moments from his death-like sleep.
Love ForeverLove Forever · 2025
Love Forever
★ 5.42025
MovieRomanceComedy
A Stockholm couple plans to get married on the gorgeous island of Gotland, where family-imposed traditions turn their most important day into a disaster.
Love, SimonLove, Simon · 2018
Love, Simon
★ 8.02018
MovieComedyDrama
Everyone deserves a great love story, but for 17-year-old Simon Spier, it's a little more complicated. He hasn't told his family or friends that he's gay, and he doesn't know the identity of the anonymous classmate that he's fallen for online.
Erin BrockovichErin Brockovich · 2000
Erin Brockovich
★ 7.42000
MovieDrama
A twice-divorced mother of three who sees an injustice, takes on the bad guy and wins -- with a little help from her push-up bra. Erin goes to work for an attorney and comes across medical records describing illnesses clustered in one nearby town. She starts investigating and soon exposes a monumental cover-up.
LuckyLucky · 2017
Lucky
★ 6.42017
MovieDrama
The story of a young mother with a failed marriage behind her, who fights daily for her dream to open a hair salon, challenging her fate in an effort to free herself and gain independence and right to happiness.
Battleship PotemkinBattleship Potemkin · 1925
Battleship Potemkin
★ 7.61925
MovieDramaHistory
A dramatized account of a great Russian naval mutiny and a resultant public demonstration, showing support, which brought on a police massacre.
Ben-HurBen-Hur · 1959
Ben-Hur
★ 7.91959
MovieHistoryDrama
In ancient Judea, a Jewish aristocrat opposing Roman occupation of his homeland reunites with his childhood friend, now a Roman commander — setting in motion a saga of betrayal, adventure, tragedy, revenge, and faith.
Nanook of the NorthNanook of the North · 1922
Nanook of the North
★ 7.11922
MovieDocumentaryDrama
This pioneering documentary film depicts the lives of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada's northern Quebec region. Although the production contains some fictional elements, it vividly shows how its resourceful subjects survive in such a harsh climate, revealing how they construct their igloo homes and find food by hunting and fishing. The film also captures the beautiful, if unforgiving, frozen landscape of the Great White North, far removed from conventional civilization.
Annie HallAnnie Hall · 1977
Annie Hall
★ 7.71977
MovieComedyDrama
New York comedian Alvy Singer falls in love with the ditsy Annie Hall.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter