This movie is "freely based" on the novel, which means that if you attempt to watch this instead of reading the book, you're screwed. Director Roland Joffe took so many liberties with Hawthorne's original plot that he considered changing the title of the film to "A Scarlet Letter." Starring Demi Moore's bosoms.
Baritone-voiced horror star Vincent Price turned Hawthorne's book into a campy horror flick. The trailer promises "a spell of horror beyond belief" from "that master storyteller of the macabre, Nathaniel Hawthorne." The 1960s-era "special effects" are hilariously awful.
The verdict on this overwrought film was that, except for the stuffy language, the movie has little in common with the Hawthorne short story it is allegedly based on. Watch only if you have patience for lots of shots of cloaked people running through the woods.
An ancient house! A murder secret! A hidden treasure! This is what the tagline promises for this version of Hawthorne's Gothic classic. It stars a young Vincent Price as Clifford Pyncheon.
There are other film versions of Hawthorne's story about a scarecrow who comes to life when he puts a feather in his cap, but we're going to suggest this animated one. It's based on Hawthorne's story "Feathertop," which, of course, is a heavy moral allegory. Obviously.
This adaptation of the novel that Herman Melville dedicated to Nathaniel Hawthorne is a classic. Directed by John Huston, screenplay by Ray Bradbury, Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab… it's a great ride.