Focus on Wim Wenders

The Scarlett Letter

1 hr. 18 min. | Drama, History | N/A

Puritan America of the 17th century. A village surrounded by wildlife. A woman named Hestera Prin for being born out of wedlock and refusing to reveal the child's father's name has been made an object of shame and forced to wear the bright red letter A. Pride and love make the scom of the puritanical citizens bearable. An elderly stranger soon arrives in the village, the only Hester recognizing him as his missing husband. He pretends to be a doctor and watches Hester, trying to figure out who her lover is ...

"Every film not only tells a story, it also documents how it was made. The 'bright red letter' reminds me of conditions I would never want to work in again: I don't want to make a film where you can't show a gas station, a TV or a phone booth. It sounds emotional, but emotion is the point. They are only possible in films that have been made freely, without restrictions, in which the actors are not subject to restrictions, "Wenders said.

Wim Wenders

Wim Wenders

Wim Wenders was born in Germany in 1945. He is well-known filmmaker, author, photographer. After two years of studying medicine and philosophy and a yearlong stay in Paris as a painter he attended the University of Television and Film in Munich from 1967 to 1970. Made his feature directorial debut with Summer in the City (1970). He gained recognition with very successful features Alice in the Cities (1973), The American Friend (1977), Paris, Texas (1984), Wings of Desire (1987) and Faraway, So Close (1993). Wenders has directed several highly acclaimed documentaries, most notably Buena Vista Social Club (1998), Pina (2011). Michael Glawogger was born in Graz, Austria, in 1959. He studied at the San Francisco Art Institute and the Film Academy Vienna. Whores’ Glory completed his trilogy of essayist documentaries in 2011. He is currently on a one year travel around the world for his new documentary Untitled.      Michael Madsen was born in Copenhagen,Denmark in 1972. He studied art history and works as a filmmaker and conceptual artist. Founder and artistic leader of the Sound/Gallery in Copenhagen. His documentary Into Eternity (2010) provides a glimpse into the world’s first final nuclear waste facility.    Robert Redford was born in Santa Monica, USA, in 1936. He is an actor, film director, producer, and environmentalist. In 1981 he received an Oscar for his directorial debut Ordinary People and in 2001 an honorary Oscar.      Margreth Olin was born in Norway, in 1970. She studied journalism and documentary filmmaking in Bergen and Oslo. She directs and produces documentaries and feature films and stages theatre plays. Her work focuses on social and political issues. Her first feature The Angel was the Norwegian Oscar entry in 2010. Her most recent documentary Nowhere Home received the Norwegian Film Award 2013.   Karim Aïnouz was born in Brazil, in 1966. He studied architecture in Brazil and film in New York. He directs fiction and documentary films and teaches script writing. His art installations have been exhibited widely. His directorial debut Madame Sata screened in Un Certain Regard in Cannes in 2002.
Languages
German
Subtitles
Lithuanian, English
Original title
Der scharlachrote buchstabe
Produced
1973: Germany, Spain

Film information

Director
Wim Wenders
Screenplay
Wim Wenders, Bernardo Fernandez
Music
Jürgen Knieper
Cinematography
Robby Müller
Cast
Senta Berger, Hans-Christian Blech, Lou Castel, Rüdiger Vogler, Yella Rottländer
More information
www.imdb.com