Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is a novel about the sin and guilt of two lovers, but the movie based upon it turns the story into one of passionate lust. "Freely adapted" from the book, the movie is made appeasing to its audience with scenes portraying impetuous love, bloody massacres, and vengeful hatred. The book, on the other hand, has a much more mellow tone, dealing with the internal conflicts of its characters. It focuses on the guilt and consequences of two lovers' sin. The book and the film hardly seem alike in the least.

From the very beginning of the movie, events are presented that are never once mentioned in the book. The movie begins with the revelation of resentment between the colonists of Boston and the local Native Americans, which foreshadows the conflict closer to the end of the story. Also revealed is Hester's life before...