This timeline helps to understand the progression of the many adaptations of "The Scarlet Letter".;xNLx;Timeline created by Madison O'Leary, December 2, 2012
This was the original novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is the story of Hester Prynne, the first woman to wear a scarlet letter embroidered onto her dress as a sign of shame.
This was the first adaptation of the novel. It was written and put together by Walter Damrosch. Segments of the opera was shown at Caregie Hall in January of 1895 and was fully performed in Boston in 1896.
This was the first film adaptationof Hawthorne's work. It was a short (28 minute) silent black and white adaptation of the novel. The script was written by Gene Gauntier and directed by Sidney Olcott
This second film adaptation was a huge success. Though the film was a short (15 minute) silent film in black and white. It revived the book's success as aswell as the popularity and celebrity of the cast and crew.
This was the third film adaptation. Like the previous two it was produced in America as a silent drama, however it used Kinemacolor, some of the first film to contain any sort of color technology.
This version was also filmed in the US. It was adapted as a screenplay by Carl Harbaugh whom also directed the picture. It too stuck to the original story and characters of the novel.
There is little known of this adaptation of the novel. It did follow the original story line and was a short representation of the book and the previous films.
This was the first adaption of the film to be produced outside of America. It was produced as a British film, directed by Challis Sanderson and it too was a silent black and white film. It strayed little from the original novel and the previous films.
This version is widely thought of as one of the most famous adaptations. Directed by victor Sjostrom and writeen by Frances Mirion, the film starred Lillian Gish as it's silent Hester Prynne
This adaptation was the first film to include sound and therefore dialogue it is thought of today as one of the most famous versions.
This was the first German adaptation of the novel. In german it is "Der Scharlachrote Buchstabe". The film was directed by Wim Wenders.
This was the first television adaptation. It was a miniseries that ran for four hour long episodes. It was produced by WGBH and was directed by Rick Hauser.
This novel is very loosely based on 'The Scarlet Letter'. Written by John Updike this book is about a theology professor, Roger. There are similarities throughout the book. It takes place in Boston with his wife Esther and an illegitimate child. The themes are that of forbidden love, sex, the young daughter, and religion, just as they are in Hawthorne's novel.
This is one of the most popular and well-known adaptations today. It is famous for having such stars as Demi Moore, however it only loosely follows the novel and has a completely different ending,
This is the only Korean adaptation. It does not follow the original story line, but has similar themes and the same title, in Korean "주홍글씨". It was directed by Byun Kyuk. It was very controversial for its imagery and its erotic violence.
Written by Suzan-Lori Parks, this play first went onstage in Houston, Texas. Parks follows the theme of The Scarlet Letter and even goes as far as to name her main character Hester. It is a twisted world of branding and unjust punishment. Hester has an 'A' branded to her skin because she is an abortionist.
This was the first song, excluding the ones with the opera, of this title. It is by the group Mudvayne. It is not about the story line or plot, but simply about the feelings of shame and isolation that are found within the novel.
Easy A is a movie that, like the song, only follows the themes of the novel. It is set in modern day and is about a girl, Olive Penderghast, who loses her way and is shunned at her school when people believe she is too sexual. It is set in high school and uses the book of The Scarlet Letter as their class assignment, giving Olive the idea to sew the famous red "A" to all of her outfits.
"When She Woke", written by Hilary Jordon, is the most recent adaptations of the novel. Set in the "not-to-distant future" the story follows the character of Hannah, who is convicted of murder because of her abortion. Instead of the scarlet letter being embroidered to all of her clothing, her skin is dyed red so that she cannot escape her "crime". This adaptation is the first to change so much and yet stay so true to the story and themes.
We'd love to hear from you. Please send questions or feedback to the below email addresses.
Before contacting us, you may wish to visit our FAQs page which has lots of useful info on Tiki-Toki.
We can be contacted by email at: hello@tiki-toki.com.
You can also follow us on twitter at twitter.com/tiki_toki.
If you are having any problems with Tiki-Toki, please contact us as at: help@tiki-toki.com
Close