WAS THE
LETTER
SCARLET,
BLACK,
OR
WHITE
?:
THE
1926
SILENT
FILM
A
DAPTATION
OF
HAWTHORNE
'S
NOVEL
JUAN IGNACIO GUIJARRO GONZÁLEZ
Uni e sidad de Se illa
(Resumen)
El es eno en 1995de una allida adap ación cinema og á ica de The Sca le Le e con
Demi Moo e en el papel p incipal o ece una excelen e opo unidad pa a e isa an e io es
e siones de la no ela canónica de Na haniel Haw home. En 1926 el di ec o sueco a incado
en Es ados Unidos Vic o Sjos óm di igió una de las es plasmaciones del ex o que se
ilma on en Hollywood en la época del cine mudo, una e apa que a menudo pa ece habe caído
en el ol ido de la c i ica. Ob iamen e el oda una película en aquellos años implicaba abaja
con una se ie de limi aciones discu si as conside ables, eniendo en cuen a que aún no se
habían implan ando ni el uso del sonido ni el de la o og a ia en colo . A pesa de que la
suge en e adap ación de The Sca le Le e p o agonizada po una es ella indiscu ible del cine
mudo como Lillian Gish es un iel e lejo de dichas limi aciones, la película log a supe a las
de o ma con incen e al o ece en una na a i a an simple como lí ica una a ac i a eesc i u a
del ex o de Haw home en la que a lo an algunas de las cues iones esenciales en las complejas
elaciones en e el discu so ilmico y el li e a io.
In 1995 Hollywood eleased a new cinema og aphic adap a ion
o
one
o
he cen al
ex s in he U. S. li e a y canon, The Sca le Le e . In his new e sion
o
Na haniel
Haw home's c1assicno el, he leading ole
o Hes e
P ynne was played by Demi Moo e, no
only one
o
he highes -paid ac esses in Hollywood in he I990s, bu also he undispu ed
sexual icon
o he
decade, as he pe o mance in he ilm S ip ease c1ea ly con i med only one
yea la e . This new ende ing
o Haw home'
s ex was poo ly ecei ed in gene al bo h by he
c i ics and he public, since i was a long and i esome mo ie which ailed no only as an
adap a ion, bu also as a ilm in i sel .! Logically, he elease o his new e sion o e s a
unique oppo uni y o e isi he p e ious adap a ions o The Sca le Le e .
In his book Cine yli e a u a he Spanish poe and c i ic Pe e Gim e e asse s ha he
iche , mo e complex and ambiguous a Ii e a y ex , he highe he numbe
o
po en ial ilm
adap a ions i will gene a e (64), and as examples o illus a e his heo y he men ions he
cases
o
Don Quixo e and Wu he ing Heigh s. Unques ionably, Haw home's The Sca le
l. The nega i e ecep ion
o
ilm c ines was gene alized: he e iew published by Kenne h
Tu an in The Los Angeles Times did no di e much in one om he one Angel Femández-
San os w o e o El País unde he explici i le
o
"Bu do des ozo del alen o ajeno."
22
luan
Ignacio Guija o González
Le e also belongs in his lis , since a o al
o
six di e en ilm e sions
o
he no el ha e
made h oughou he wen ie h cen u y.
In 1972 he Ge nan di ec o Wim Wende s sho in Galicia a modes and a he cold
p oduc ion
o he
no el,' which had al eady been adap ed in 1934, and -su p isingly enough-
h ee imes in only 15 yea s du ing he silen e a
o
Hollywood: in 1911, 1917, and 1926.3
One
o
he de ining ea u es
o
Haw ho ne's ex is i s ocusing on he in e na li e
o
he h ee
cen al cha ac e s and explo ing hei psychology in dep h, while ex e nal ac ion is educed o a
minimum. The e o e, i would seem ha such a ex would especially esis being adap ed o
he sc een. How can one explain he insis ence on acing he challenge
o
ilming he sa ne
no el so many imes du ing he ea ly days
o
cinema? Pe haps he mos logical explana ion o
his enigma lies in he ac ha
-as
se e al ilm c i ics and his o ians ha e poin ed
ou -
in i s
e y beginning cinema o en had o ely on adap a ions
o
li e a y classics in o de o ea n a
ce ain deg ee
o
espec abili y. In e es ingly enough, a second eason has also been sugges ed:
'classic li e a u e' was no being igno ed by he indus y. I had a double ole. Fi s ly
i was used as a weapon o esis p essu es on he ilm business by hose middle-class
e o ne s who held he cinema o be an e il in 1uence on socie y.
..
. Secondly,
...
i
was hoped ha adap a ions
o
'good'
li e a u e would do mo e han eassu e he middle
classes ha cinema was no a dange ous new social disease, and would ac ually en ice
hem h ough he u ns yles. Thus, adap ing li e a y classics was pa
o
he indus y's
s a egy o gain o
i sel bo h
a clean epu a ion and new business. (Izod 96)
Mo eo e , in he o e iew
o
he issue Lupack quo es a c i ic who in 1911 s essed he
po en ial educa i e ole
o
adap ing ex s like The Sca le Le e : "I is he mas e piece
o
he
ages ha especially in i es ilming, and he eason o i is e y plain. . . . A e all, he wo d
'classic' has so ne meaning. I implies he app o al
o he
bes people in he mos enligh ened
imes
..
. . I is he business
o he
mo ing pic u e o make hem known o all" (4).
O
all hese di e en e sions
o
The Sca le Le e , he one made in 1926 is ex emely
appealing o a numbe
o
easons. Al hough i is a om pe ec , his silen ende ing can be
ega ded as an accep able ec ea ion o Haw home's ex on he one hand, and as a ema kable
ilm
o
g ea Iy icism on he o he .
Nowadays, in he age o echnology and special e ec s, i is all oo easy o o ge ha
no long ago mo ies we e made in e y di e en condi ions. The 1926 adap a ion
o
The
Sca le Le e da es back o a ime when cinema was s ill a a he new a is ic discou se a
om consolida ed which su e ed om se e e limi a ions. Films we e silen , so ha ins ead
o
dialogue he e we e jus in e i les illus a ing he mos ele an scenes," and, in addi ion o
ha , hey had o be pho og aphed in black and whi e, since colo echnique was no s ill
2. Wende s' ilm was in ac a Spanish and Wes -Ge man co-p oduc ion and pa
o
he cas
and he c ew we e Spanish; he ole
o
Hes e P ynne was played by Sen a Be ge .
3. In addi ion o hese six cinema og aphic adap a ions, in 1979 PBS p oduced one wi h Meg
Fos e in he leading ole.
4. Fo a lucid o e iew
o
he o igin
o
he in e i le and he di e en signi ying unc ions i
could play, see Gaud eaul and Jos , 75-80.
Was he Le e Sca le , Black, o Whi e?... 23
a ailable; pa adoxically, his implies ha in his e sion he le e which appea s in he sc een
is no eally sca le .
Taking all hese ac o s in o conside a ion, i is possible o o e in he p esen a mo e
accu a e and balanced eading
o
he 1926 ilm, which in ac has been hailed on so ne
occasion as one
o he
"neglec ed mas e pieces
o he
silen e a" (Cook 104, 110).5 l onically,
he di ec o
o
his adap a ion
o
one
o
he key ex s in he U. S. li e a y canon was a
o eigne , he Swedish Vic o Sjós om, one
o he
many Eu opeans who was in i ed o wo k
in Hollywood in hose days. He a i ed in 1923, a e ha ing buil him
sel
a epu a ion as
one
o he
leading di ec o s
o
Scandina ian cinema wi h ilms like Ko kalen (The Phan om
Cha io ,1921), one
o
his se e al adap a ions
o
wo ks by he Swedish no elis Selma
Lage ló Be o e e uming o his na i e coun y in 1930 us a ed--like so many
o
he
Eu opeans ilmmake s who ca ne a ha ime--by he s ic ules imposed by he Hollywood
sys em, Sjós om le behind wo ks
o
g ea simplici y, e!egance, and Iy icism like The
Sca le Le e and especially The Wind (1928), o en conside ed one o he highligh s o
silen Hollywood."
By now i has become all oo elea ha ying o sol e he ne e -ending deba e abou
he con lic i e e!a ionships be ween ilm and li e a u e is a a he u ile and ius a ing
exe cise. The mos accep ed iews on he subjec a e ha i is almos impossible o adap a
li e a y wo k success ully on he sc een, and ha as an a o m cinema is elea ly in e io and
educ i e compa ed o lí e a u e.? These a e he p e ailing iews in.Ma k Es in's a iele
"'T iumphan Ignominy' on he Sc een", a e y nega i e eading
o
he ilm which discusses
i s se e al limi a ions and o e looks mos
o
i s achie emen s. Es in's analysis
-which
ne e heless o e s so ne pe cep i e insigh s on he ilm--is in many ways a pe ec example o
wha in he "In oduc ion" o hei The Classic Ame ican No el and he Mo ies Pea y and
Sha zkin labe! as "eli is posi ion", he adi ional iew acco ding o which "[Tjhe cinema
s ands suspec . .
..
P e alen among li e a y- ninded c i ics is he dis inc eeling ha a lag is
pe manen . E en a he cinema's mos lucid and p o ound momen s, whe e is he complexi y,
he shee densi y,
o he
simples p ose me apho ?" (3). In Es in 's wo ds " he ilm misses he
na k" (28), al hough he inds mos sa is ying hose scenes ha ec ea e he s a ic pic o ial
chap e s
o
he no el ha Ha y Le in compa ed o ableaux (21-22).
The iews abou he e!a ion be ween ilm and li e a u e we e al eady pola ized a he
ime he 1926 e sion
o
The Sca le Le e was made. The Russian Fo malis c i ic Vic o
Shklo ski published in 1923 an essay wi h an apocalyp ic one en i led 'Li e a u e and Film'.
5. Gim e e unde lines he ac ha none
o he
g ea mas e pieces
o
wo ld li e a u e has e e
esul ed in a cinema og aphic mas e piece, 80.
6. In 1927 Sjós ó n was chosen one
o
he en bes di ec o s in Hollywood because
o
his
ende ing
o
The Sca le Le e . On his U. S. ca ee see Jacobs 365-68, and Cook 104-06, 219-
20.
7. In addi ion o he s anda d adi ional iews on he deba e o e ed by c i ics such as Geo ge
Blues one, i is wo h conside ing wha Mas , Giddins, Lupack, o Gim e e ha e said abou
i mo e ecen ly.Ca men Peña-A did o e s an excellen o e iew
o
he p oblem in he
opening chap e
o
he Li e a u a ycine, en i led "Una adición de elaciones con lic i as",
21-49.
24 Juan Ignacio Guija o González
in which he passiona ely ejec ed any connec ion be ween he wo a is ic discou ses. On he
con a y, he di ec o and heo is Se gei Eisens ein emphasized in a icles like he classic
"Dickens, G i i h, and he Film Today" ha ilms imi a ed he na a i e s a egies
o
he
modem no el.
In "Li e a u e and Film" Ge ald Mas clea ly poin s ou wha a e he h ee majo
p oblems in ol ed in he in ensi e p ocess
o
e-w i ing a no el o he sc een: "enclosing i
wi hin an app oxima ely wo-hou o m, con e ing i s pu ely e bal ex in o a succession o
sigh s and sounds (only so ne
o which
a e e bal), and d ama izing i s na a ed scenes" (289).
O
hese h ee obs acles, he i s is p obably he mos basic one, since i is no possible o
include all he elemen s
o
a no el in an a e age ilm. In ac , he mos legenda y illus a ion
o
his p oblem also da es om he mid-1920s, since in 1924 he Ge man di ec o E ic on
S oheim--ano he eminen Eu opean in i ed o wo k in Hollywood-- ilmed G eed, a
monumen al e sion
o
F ank No is' no el McTeague (1899) which o iginally las ed up o
eigh hou s, bu was cu down by he s udios o wo hou s and wen y minu es. The e o e, in
mos adap a ions a p ocess
o
selec ing and ejec ing ma e ial om he o iginal becomes
una oidable.
This double p ocess was e en mo e es ic i e in he case
o
he 1926 e sion
o
The
Sca le Le e , since he ilm only uns a me e 79 minu es. Ob iously, nei he he di ec o ,
Vic o Sjós óm, no he sc ip w i e , he alen ed F ances Ma ion.é no anyone else, could
ha e p ope ly ec ea ed in such a sho ime he immense ichness and complexi y
o
Haw home's
o iginal ex . As a esul , so ne
o
i s mos in e es ing aspec s had o be le ou
ine i ably.
Bu his c ucial p oblem had e en deepe implica ions, since-in wha can be ega ded as
a a he unexpec ed s a egy- he en i e i s
hal
o
he ilm deals wi h e en s which a e no
p esen in he no el, hus p o iding he whole backg ound o he adul e y and making
explici wha Haw home ne e ca ed o explain.? As in o he ex s by him, he plo
o
The
Sca le Le e begins
'in
media es' and explo es he consequences
o
a sin which has been
commi ed p e iously. In his i s pa
o
he wo cen al ideas a e de eloped in dep h: he
sha p con as be ween Hes e P ynne and he Pu i an communi y, and he g owing mu ual
a ac ion el by Hes e and Re e end Di nmesdale.
The se e i y
o
he Pu i an men ali y--which Haw home had pe ec ly cap u ed in his
ex -- inds a alid coun e pa in he ilm om he e y beginning. As i happens in he e y
symbolical i s chap e
o
he no el, he opening sho
o
he ilm ocuses on he e1emen s
ha will
playa
c ucial pa in he s o y: a e a quick medium close-up sho
o
he osebush,
he came a succesi ely ocuses on he p ison, he chu ch bells, and hen on he sca old, ha
8. F ances Ma ion illus a es F ancke's asse ion ha women played a majo pa in silen
cinema, 66. She won Academy Awa ds in 1930 and 1931 and collabo a ed wi h Sjos om in
The Sca le Le e and The Wind. In he 1926 a icle
"Why
Do They Change he S o ies on he
Sc een?" she admi ed ha sc eenw i e s in oduce all kinds
o
al e a ions when adap ing, 75.
9. This same s a egy has also been used in he new e sion, bu wi h a c ucial di e ence
ega ding he cen al gap in Haw home's ex : whe eas in 1926 he sexual in e cou se be ween
he lo e s was ob iously no ep oduced, in 1995 he naked bodies
o
Demi Moo e and Ga y
Oldman a e gene ously show making lo e in a bam .
Was he Le e Sca le , Black, o Whi e? .. 25
"con i ance
o
wood and i on" (1938: 70) which announces he se e e punishing codes o
Pu i anismo This idea is immedia ely ein o ced when he membe s
o
he communi y make
hei appea ance as hey go o chu ch: i hei aus e e aces a e qui e e ealing, e en mo e so a e
he clo hes hey wea . They a e all d essed in da k colo s, mos ly in he somb e black and
g ey onali ies ha abound in Haw home's ex .
Ano he elemen ha helps in he de ini ion o he Pu i an socie y is he sound o he
chu ch bells, which is hea d om he e y beginning in an in e mi en mono onous cadence;
his pe sis en sound ob iously unc ions as a eminde
o
he opp essi e na u e
o
Pu i an
eligion. As he p esence
o
hese bells clea ly indica es, so-called 'silen ilms' we e no
always silen , since, al hough i is ue ha cha ac e s ne e u e ed a wo d, a e a ew yea s a
pianis was hi ed o play so ne backg ound music. La e , when he Fi s Wo ld Wa inished,
i became inc easingly co nmon o ilms o ha e a musical sco e o be played now by an
en i e o ches a in he hea e: "du ing he wen ies all ea u es, ega dless
o
quali y, we e
accompanied by cue shee s sugges ing app op ia e musical selec ions o be played a
designa ed poin s in he ilm" (Cook 240). The e o e, in he 1926 e sion
o
The Sca le
Le e music plays a signi ican pa , since i is cons an ly used o se he mood
o
he scenes:
a solemn une associa ed o he Pu i an communi y, aIy icallo e heme which is played ou
e e y ime he lo e s ge oge he , o a sh ill music in momen s
o
ension. Th oughou he
ilm, music unc ions as a mo i connec ing di e en cha ac e s, ideas, and si ua ions, and as a
esul compensa es in pa o he absence
o
dialogue.10 •
Su p isingly, ha ing o shoo he ilm in black and whi e had a posi i e e ec oo. The
di ec o
o
pho og aphy Hen y Sa o , who was Lillian Gish's pe sonal pho og aphe and
came aman since he G i i h days and had ollowed he o MGM, c ea ed a e y powe ul and
sugges i e a mosphe e, and ein o ced he sha p con as be ween so ne
o
he mo al duali ies
ha domina e in wha Haw home de ined a he end o chap e 1as "a ale
o
human ail y and
so ow" (61): good and e il, sin and o gi eness, guil and innocence, o lo e and ha e, among
o he s. Ina sense, he s a k d ama ism p o ided by his use
o
black and whi e unc ions as
he pe ec cinema og aphic equi alen o he mo al dig essions ha appea sca e ed
h oughou he no el. Inhis analysis
o
The Sca le Le e ,Leslie Fiedle speci ically
e e s
o " he black-and-whi eness
o
i s wo Id," la e adding ha "black and whi e a e no only he
na u al colo s
o
he win y o es se lemen in which he e en s un old, bu s and, oo, o
ha se lemen 's igidly dis inguished e sions
o
ice and i ue" (509).11
Simila Iy, he ilm also ep oduces wi h g ea abili y he in e play be ween ligh and
shadow ha Haw home had c ea ed in ce ain momen s
o
he no el, and which eminded F.
10. The music was composed by William Ax and Da id Mendoza, he andem ha in he
mid-I920s w o e he sco e o o he majo MGM ilms like The Big Pa ade (1925) o Ben
Hu (1926); Valls and Pad ol disc edi hei nusic o being g andiloquen and a he
p edic able,69.
11. Sa o was "a specialis in mood ligh ing and so ocus, o 'imp essionis ic'
pho og aphy", Cook 96. Lewis Jacobs poin s ou ha pho og aphy expe imen ed g ea
echnical imp o emen s in 1924 and 1925, mainly because
o
he in oduc ion
o
panch oma ic
ilm, so sensi i e ha i " nade possible e olu iona y changes in pho og aphy, ligh ing, and
se ings", 332.

26 Juan Ignacio Guija o González
O. Ma hiessen
o
Remb and 's pain ings (281). This is wha happens, o example, in
chap e VIII, "The El -Child and he Minis e ", in which Hes e emains in he shadows while
isi ing he Go emo 's house: "The shadow o he cu ain ell on Hes e P ynne, and pa ially
concealedhe " (132). Al hough his was one
o
he se e al episodes omi ed om he ilm,
he adap a ion s ill made a bold use o his s a egy, especially in one scene ull o
Exp essionis ic o e ones in which he wo lo e s mee sec e ly a nigh by he i eplace in
Hes e 's house, and hei shadows a e p ojec ed on he wall in an ominous way which seems
o an icipa e hei o hcoming agedy. This scene--one
o
he mos isually s iking in he
en i e adap a ion--was al eady in 1926 a clea sign
o
he eno nous po en ial inhe en in
cinema o c ea ing o e-c ea ing ce ain moods and a mosphe es, and o o e coming i s
discu si e limi a ions.
Finally, he s a k black-and-whi e pho og aphy is also used o es ablish om he e y
beginning he opposi ion be ween Hes e P ynne and he communi y, since in his i s pa o
he ilm she is always wea ing e y i id whi e clo hes ha s and ou powe ully amid he
somb e backg ound
o
he Pu i ans.
In he 1926 adap a ion he ole
o
Hes e P ynne was played by Lillian Gish, one
o
he
g ea emale s a s
o
silen Hollywood oge he wi h Ma y Pick o d. Gish had es ablished he
epu a ion wo king o G i i h, bu in 1925 she joined Me o-Goldwyn-Maye when he
economic demands became oo high o he di ec o o a o d. He s a us as a s a was
unques ionable, gi en ha when she joined MGM she eamed $4,000 a week and had he igh
o choose di ec o , pa ne and e en c ew; howe e , wi h he a i al
o
sound he ilms ailed
and he s udio soon eplaced he wi h a new eme ging s a : G e a Ga bo.12
She ac ed in he wo g ea ilms ha Vic o Sjós om made o he s udio: The Sca le
Le e and The Wind. Yea s la e , he ac ess openly acknowledged he emendous
in 1uence
ha he Scandina ian ilmmake
hadon
he ac ing ca ee : "His di ec ion was a g ea educa ion
o me. In a sense 1wen h ough he Swedish school
o
ac ing. 1 had go a he close o he
I alian school in I aly. .
..
The I alian school is one
o
elabo a ion; he Swedish is one o
ep ession" (Jacobs 332). These wo ds explain one
o
he mos ema kable ea u es o
Sjós óm's adap a ion, he es ained ac ing
o
he pe o ne s, which s ands in clea con as o
he d ama ic exagge a ions so equen in he ea ly days o cinema.
In he i s pa
o
he ilm he cha ac e
o
Hes e P ynne is p esen ed as a play ul and
i nma u e gi l who beha es in a a he childish way, in opposi ion o he se iousness ha
p esides o e he communi y. In a scene which is bo h candid and isually powe ul, Hes e
is po ayed as ain and coque ish, since she enjoys looking a he sel in a mi o ha she has
hidden in one
o
he walls
o
he house.
Such a cha ac e iza ion o e s an excellen oppo uni y o in oduce a symbolical
elemen ha was no p esen in he o iginal ex , bu which i s pe ec ly in he s o y and
s esses i s Iy icism. I is he whi e bi d ha Hes e keeps in a cage, whose singing dis up s
he solemni y
o
Pu i an li e. In wha is clea ly a eac ion ha p eludes Hes e 's u u e, he
bi d manages o escape om he cage and lies ee o he o es ; she uns a e i wi h he long
beau i ul hai loose. Jus like he animal, Hes e canno bea li ing imp isoned amid he
12. On he meaning and symbolism
o
he no ion o s a dom in Hollywood see he di e en
essays in Gledhill's collec ion.
Was he Le e Sca le , Black, o Whi e?... 27
ex eme solemni y imposed by he Pu i an
commun
i y. The inclusion o his new elemen
ein o ces he links be ween he ilm and a no el as hea ily symbolical as The Sca le
Le e .s?
Hes e 's childish and play ul na u e is ne e mo e mani es han in he way she ac s
du ing he i s encoun e s wi h Re e end Dimmesdale. A e he ini ial encoun e , hei
iendship de i es in o pu e sen imen al melod ama, in o wha om his pe spec i e Ma k
Es in nega i ely summa izes in he "boy-mee s-gi l" o mula (25). The lo e s o en emb ace
and kiss passiona ely while a musical lo e heme sounds in he backg ound; a one poin --and
be o e emba king on a long ip o England--Dimmesdale asks Hes e o ma y him, bu he is
shocked when in a ully d ama ic scene he came a shows a close-up
o
Hes e 's wedding ing
in he palm
o
he hand accompanied by a iolen music.
Undoub edly his whole aspec cons i u es one
o
he majo depa u es
o
he ilm om
he o iginal ex .!" As i has been niceiy ph ased, in his ende ing
o
The Sca le Le e
Haw home's
idea
o he
Romance wi h a capi al 'C' (based on he p esence
o
he supema u al
and he mys e ious) disappea ed, and was eplaced ins ead by Hollywood's concep ion
o
he
omance wi h lowe case 'e', a a he innocen lo e-s o y which con o med o he con en ions o
melod ama.I is wo h ecalling ha , as Da id Cook commen s in his book A His o y
o/
Na a i e Film, one
o
he de ining ac o s
o
cinema in he 1920s was "a homeg own
Ame ican adi ion o sen imen al melod ama and u al omance" (218).15
In addi ion, he 1926 adap a ion also elimina ed mos
o
he supema u al elemen s ha
we e cen al in
Haw home's
no ion
o he
omance: he haun ing p esence ó
' he
Black Man
o
he Fo es ' is ne e el , while Mis ess Hibbins is no longe a wi ch, bu one
o
he mos
espec ed membe s
o
he communi y. The e o e, he na a i e s a egies
o
he ilm a e
insc ibed wi hin a mo e ealis ic adi ion, wi h only one signi ican excep ion, Di nmesdale's
e ela ion
o
he le e b anded on his ches , which,pa adoxically, in he sou ce ex was
me ely sugges ed by Haw home, bu which in he ilm is clea ly shown in a close-up.
On he con a y, he second
hal
o he
ilm deals exclusi eiy wi h he e en s p esen ed
by Haw home, bu , since i only amoun s o abou 40 minu es, i is impossible o comp ess
he en i e plo
o
he no el. As a esul , only i s majo elemen s a e ec ea ed a e an
ex ensi e p ocess
o
e-elabo a ion
o
he o iginal ma e ial, which includes omissions,
changes, and inno a ions. Such a p ocess oughly co esponds o wha he playw igh and
scena is Sidney Howa d labelled as
'''
d ama izing by equi alen '-- educing no elis ic e en s
o a ewe numbe , consolida ing se e al cha ac e s in o one" (Pea y 5).
Among he se e al cen al elemen s o Haw ho ne's ex ha a e absen om he ilm
a e he g adual changes
o
meaning
o
he e e -p esen le e 'A' ( he cen al symbol in he
13. In Haw home's ex i was Pea l who was compa ed se e al imes o a bi d, so ha he
inclusion
o
he animal a he beginning
o
he ilm could also be said o indica e he u u e
bi h
o
he child, who in um will be mos ly d essed in whi e, like he mo he . A ed bi d
was in oduced in he 1995 adap a ion o ein o ce i s ma ked sexual o e ones.
14. This ci cums ance is made mani es in he Spanish i le
o
he ilm, which was no he
logical and p edic able La le a esca la a . bu he mo e melod ama ic La muje ma cada.
15. The ilm adap a ion also in oduces se e al momen s
o
humo ha unc ion as 'comic
eiie
.
28 Juan Ignacio Guija o González
no el), which signals how
Hes e 's
posi ion in he communi y is ans o ned wi h he passing
o
ime as she goes om being conside ed an adul e ous woman o being ega ded as an angel.
This is he mos e iden mani es a ion
o
he 'mul iple choice' echnique used by Haw home
. h oughou he no el o explain ce ain e en s o e en o lea e he ques ion
o
hei meaning
open and ul ima ely o he eade o decide. Howe e , he adap a iop does include one
elemen ha had been e ealingly le ou om Haw home's ex : explici e e ences o he
mos c ucial ac
o
he no el, he adul e y i sel . In he powe ul scene
o
he ilm when
Hes e comes ou
o
p ison o ace he punishmen on he sca old amid an ang y c owd, she is
epea edly insul ed wi h he wo d 'adul e ess', as he in e i les make clea .l''
Ano he ele an episode
o
he no el which is comple ely omi ed in he ilm is ha o
he midnigh igil, which co esponds o chap e XII and which p o ides he no el wi h a
sy nme ical s uc u e, in which he sca old unc ions as he linking mo i . I is on his
special nigh only ha mo he , a he and daugh e can hold hei hands oge he o he i s
ime openly in a symbolic union, o ning wha Haw home de ines as "an elec ic chain"
(184). A hi d c ucial elemen ha was also elimina ed on he sc een was one
o
he mos
ambi alen and deba ed aspec s
o
he no el, Hes e 's ip o Eu ope, he inal e um o he
communi y, and he dea h, since (as i will be discussed la e ) he 1926 adap a ion closes
powe ully wi h Dimmesdale's demise on he sca old. Thus, he ilm was o ced o lea e
comple ely aside he deep mo al conside a ions ha domina ed he end
o
Haw home's ex
and which h oughou he yea s ha e gi en way o di e ing c i ical in e p e a ions, like so
many o he aspec s
o
as ikingly ambi alen no el. 17
Among
he many modi ica ions in oduced in he sc ip , he mos signi ican one has o
do wi h he cha ac e
o Roge
Chillingwo h, a cen al elemen in he no el whose p esence in
he ilm is qui e limi ed. He ha dly appea s on sc een, he only does i in he las 20 minu es,
when Pea l is al eady ag own gi l. The e o e, as Ma k Es in igh ly poin s ou in his a icle,
he agic lo e iangle which a icula ed he o iginal s o y p ac ically anishes in he ilm (24-
25).18 The heme
o
wha he c i ic James Mille de ined as Chillingwo h's 'unpa donable
sin',
ha is, his slow pain ul e enge on Dimmesdale (which Haw home had ca e ully
16. The decision o 'e ase' in he ilm his c ucial ex ual gap is qui e meaning ul, since, as
Pe e Rabinowi z has poin ed ou ,
"i
is o en mo e use ul o look no a he asse ions abou
he issues a hand bu a he al hose places whe e he no el is silen .
..
, wha is no said is
as impo an as wha is", 409.
17. The 1926 ende ing igno ed he "Conclusion", which c i ics ha e long deemed
unnecessa y. Simila ly-and o mo e ob ious easons-"The Cus om House" has been omi ed
in all adap a ions
o
he no el.
18. The ole
o
Chillingwo h was pe o ned by Hen y
8.
Wal hall, who would also play he
same pa in he nex e sion
o
The Sca le Le e , he sound adap a ion eleased in 1934;
Re e end Dimmesdale was La s Hansen, who also co-s a ed wi h Gish in Sjós o n's The
Wind.
Was he Le e Sca le , Black, o Whi e? .. 29
elabo a ed), is also omi ed.l? In he no el Chillingwo h is p esen ed no only as a 'leech'
whose ic im is he Re e end
-as
he i les
o
chap e s IX and X openly indica es-, bu , mo e
impo an ly, as a human being whose comple e obsession wi h he idea
o
e enge g adually
u ns him in o a diabolical c ea u e whose main ea u es a e his e il smile, his powe ul gaze,
and his physical de o mi y:
I seemed o be his wish and pu pose o mask his exp ession wi h a smile, bu he
la e played him alse and licke ed o e his isage so de isi ely ha he spec a o
could see his blackness all he be e o i . E e an anon, oo, he e ca ne a gla e
o
ed
ligh ou
i
his eyes, as i he old man's soul we e on i e. . . In a wo d, old Roge
Chillingwo h was a s iking e idence
o
man's acul y
o
ans o ming himsel in o a
de il. (204)
AII hese e ealing ea u es a e also absen in he ilm. The e is only one momen when
Chillingwo h's sa anic na u e can be aced, and ha is only a he e y end, when he is
shown by he came a s anding behind Dimmesdale wi h a igh ul look ying o keep he
Re e end om con essing he u h; his episode occu s igh al e hei only con e sa ion in
he ilm, when he has said h ea ened his wi e's lo e wi h he ollowing wo ds: "Dos hink
hou shal e e ha e happiness? 1shall a/ways ollow hee
!"
One
o
he main examples o condensa ion is he mee ing
o
he wo lo e s in he
o es , which in he no el occupied ou chap e s (XVI-XIX) and which in he adap a ion is
esol ed in a e y b ie bu e ec i e manne . As i happens in he no el, he o es is
p esen ed as a bene olen and libe a ing se ing o Roman ic o e ones whe e he wo lo e s
expe ience " he sy npa hy
o
Na u e" (245); he e hey can mee and discuss hei si ua ion away
om he opp ession
o
he communi y.é" By his momen in he ilm, Dimmesdale has
clea ly become a weak and o men ed cha ac e who equi es Hes e 's suppo and s eng h, as
he co esponding in e i le laconically makes clea : "1am oo ill - oo b oke".
A guably, one
o
he mos p oblema ic aspec s
o
he 1926 adap a ion is ha Hes e has
been o ally ans o med by now in o he p oud sel -su icien woman in g ey Haw ho ne had
depic ed ea ly in his no el: "She was ladylike, .
..
cha ac e ised by a ce ain s a e and digni y
(67). I , on he one hand, his d ama ic change can be conside ed as unbelie able and
inconsis en , on he o he , i could also be in e p e ed as a clea sign
o
how deeply a ec ed
has Hes e been by he se e e punishmen imposed on he by he com nuni y.é!
19. Bo owing om Haw home's own wo ds, Mille de ines " his sup eme e il" as "a wan o
lo e and e e ence o he Human Soul esul ing in a sepa a ion
o he
in ellec om he hea ",
9l.
20. In he no el Haw ho ne combined his Roman ic iew
o
na u e wi h he Pu i an one,
acco ding o which he o es was an e il Sa anic domain, bu he la e is no p esen in he
ilm.
21. Ano he ele an aspec
o
he no el which he adap a ion also le ou is Hes e 's
in ellec ual li e as a esul
o
he isola ion. When compa ing ilm and li e a u e is commonly
asse ed ha i is e y di icul o he la e o ec ea e s a es
o
mind, a p oblem lngma
Be gman has amously o e come in his ilms.