BEFORE: Because "Easy A" name-checked it, specifically citing Demi Moore's fake accent and her affinity for showing skin, this is the most obvious follow-up - I could have gone in a number of different directions next, but this enables me to watch a few films set in colonial America, and then the Old West. Though this week's films are somewhat location specific, this is NOT the world tour, this week is the lead-in to the world tour, which will start and end in San Francisco and run from Labor Day to mid-November.
Linking from "Easy A", Malcolm McDowell was also in "The Book of Eli" with Gary Oldman, which is where I last saw him.
THE PLOT: In 1666 in the Massachusetts Bay colony, Puritans and Algonquian have an uneasy truce. Hester arrives from England, awaiting her husband, she establishes a house. Passion draws her to a young pastor.
AFTER: As referenced in "Easy A", English teachers across this country probably all hate this movie, and not just because kids are watching it instead of reading the book. No, it's because the movie radically changed the story, most notably the last few plot points and the ultimate fate of the main characters. How does a movie studio get away with something like that? Do they have a pitch meeting where they briefly consider the work of Nathaniel Hawthorne and then realize that a realistic but downbeat ending won't put asses in the theater seats? Turns out there's no governing body over film adaptations, so if you want to film a version of "Hamlet" where no one dies, and Hamlet marries Ophelia, who's to stop you?
I've reviewed the original plot summary on Wikipedia to refresh my memory, and though this is not meant as a justification for changing it, it does seem rather unfilmable. For starters, there is no narrative of Hester's relationship with Arthur Dimmesdale - the story starts after the birth of her daughter, and we're left to imagine the details of how the two lovers came together. The film does fill in the story gaps by starting with Hester's arrival in America, and proceeding from there. It's a much better starting point for a story, though starting at her trial is somewhat splashier.
There are other major differences between the book and this movie, but I think the main themes about sin and guilt are essentially the same. But I'm not sure if Hawthorne meant to call out the colonists for their hypocrisies the way the film does. Also, one of the added subplots really pays off at the end, when all hope seems lost and there's no way out for our heroes - an amazing case of "Deus ex Machina" saves the day. Jeez, they might as well have had a freak snowstorm roll into town, sending everyone back to their homes and quieting the angry mob.
The film made me wish I could take high-school history class again, because I think as an adult I'd have a different view, and be able to ask some tougher questions. Like, isn't it strange that the colonists who fled religious persecution in Europe didn't seem to extend religious freedom to others in America? I think it's more correct to say that the Puritans were kicked out of Europe because they were such prudes, and nobody there wanted to deal with them.
The concept of freedom itself seemed a little skewed in the colonies - you could practice any religion you wanted, as long as it was Christian. And people came to the colonies to be free - free to own property and slaves. And then we've got the whole Native American issue to deal with, as the colonists were free to take land away from the people who were already here. They apparently didn't notice these little inconsistencies - maybe irony wasn't invented until the 18th century or something.
The colonists came to America to establish a "New Jerusalem" - but considering that city's been at the center of religious conflict for the last 2,000 years, maybe they should have aimed a little higher. Instead we've got a country today where we're supposed to have a separation of church and state, yet we can't have any discussion on any political issue where religious nuts haven't taken over the conversation. If you think anything's changed since the 1600's, just attend an abortion rally - pro or con, you'll get an angry mob either way.
NITPICK POINT: How come when Hester takes a bath, her tub is the size of a small barrel, with the water coming up to her ankles, forcing her to stand up in it - but when her slave takes a bath, she's able to submerge her whole body in the water? I suppose I know WHY this happens, but I just don't see HOW.
Also starring Demi Moore (last seen in "The Juror"), Robert Duvall (last seen in "The Road"), Joan Plowright (last seen in "Avalon"), Robert Prosky (last seen in "Thief"), Roy Dotrice.
RATING: 4 out of 10 sermons
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