Monday, January 7, 2013

The Cheat (1915)

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

A wealthy socialite steals the Red Cross fund to invest in a shaky stock. When she loses it all, she turns to an Asian ivory dealer to repay the money, but it comes with a price. Sessue Hayakawa tries but fails to seduce her, so settles for branding her with his hot wood poker. She manages to shoot him in the process, but he survives. Her husband discovers the truth and takes the rap for her. In the sensationalist trial that follows he is convicted, but his wife reveals her tattoo in a crowded court room leading to a riot. There is some interesting shadowy cinematography, but the melodrama and Asian stereotyping sink it.

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