Der scharlachrote Buchstabe

In 17th-century Puritan North America, a woman stands in the pillory because she is expecting an illegitimate child and refuses to reveal the father's identity. As punishment, she is forced to wear a scarlet "A" on her chest. When her husband—long presumed missing—returns to the town years later, he sets out to uncover the secret surrounding little Pearl and exact revenge... This ambitious film adaptation of the Hawthorne classic, which strives for a traditional narrative style, was plagued by significant difficulties: after being defrauded of half the budget by a co-producer, Wenders has always felt alienated from this—his second feature film, shot in a former Western movie set in Spain. It is Senta Berger’s compelling performance that carries the film and holds it together.
(Florian Widegger)