IMDb RATING
6.5/10
2.8K
YOUR RATING
A venal, spoiled stockbroker's wife impulsively embezzles $10,000 from the charity she chairs and desperately turns to a Burmese ivory trader to replace the stolen money.A venal, spoiled stockbroker's wife impulsively embezzles $10,000 from the charity she chairs and desperately turns to a Burmese ivory trader to replace the stolen money.A venal, spoiled stockbroker's wife impulsively embezzles $10,000 from the charity she chairs and desperately turns to a Burmese ivory trader to replace the stolen money.
- Awards
- 1 win
Arthur H. Williams
- Courtroom Judge
- (as Judge Arthur H. Williams)
Raymond Hatton
- Courtroom Spectator
- (uncredited)
Dick La Reno
- Courtroom Spectator
- (uncredited)
Lucien Littlefield
- Hardy's Secretary
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Cecil B. DeMille(uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe Cheat (1915) was re-issued by Paramount on November 24, 1918, at which time the character played by Sessue Hayakawa was called Burmese and renamed Haka Arakau. The change of the character's name and nationality were done because Japan was an American ally at the time and the fact not as many Burmese are likely to protest. After the original release, a Japanese newspaper in Los Angeles, Rafu Shimpo, and the Japanese Association of Southern California waged a campaign against the film and heavily criticized Sessue Hayakawa's appearance, calling it "sinister."
- GoofsAccording to the date on the check, the shooting occurred on September 17th. However, the next day's newspaper which reports the crime is dated April 27th.
- Quotes
Edith Hardy: The same old story - my husband objects to my extravagance - and you.
- Crazy creditsFannie Ward's name appears above the title. The other two principal actors (as well as Ward) are credited in inter-titles with their character names as they appear in the movie.
- Alternate versionsRe-released on 24 November 1918, with Sessue Hayakawa's character changed from being Japanese with name Hishuru Tori, to Burmese with name Haka Arakau.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The House That Shadows Built (1931)
Featured review
Forbidden fruit.
Even those who have never seen this rather lurid film will probably be aware of the infamous 'branding' scene. Indeed this particular scene and the shooting that ensues still pack a punch over a century later. This is mainly due to the superlative 'noirish' cinematography of Cecil B DeMille regular Alvin Wyckoff whilst the films distinctly 'modern' look is courtesy of Art Director Wilfred Buckland.
It is alas the far from modern style of acting from leading lady Fannie Ward that weakens the film. This is essentially a vehicle for Miss Ward who has come straight from the stage. Neither she nor the director have made the slightest attempt to adjust her performance for the camera and not only is she too long in the tooth for the part, her histrionics resemble a grotesque parody of Victorian melodrama. This is in stark contrast to the minimalist acting of Sessue Hayakawa as a seedy, sinister ivory trader who literally believes in striking while the iron is hot, originally Japanese but later changed to Burmese after protests from the Japanese community. Hayakawa described his acting style as 'absence of doing' and he is utterly mesmerising in the role. One is hardly surprised that his exotic/erotic persona caused such a fluttering of female hearts. One observer has noted that Miss Ward's acting is of the past whilst Hayakawa's is of the future.
Some forty years later he played Colonel Saito in 'Bridge over the River Kwai'. Despite acting in a bubble, learning his lines phonetically and needing endless retakes he astonished director David Lean by being nominated for a best supporting Oscar. This goes to prove that if you've got it, you've got it.
It is alas the far from modern style of acting from leading lady Fannie Ward that weakens the film. This is essentially a vehicle for Miss Ward who has come straight from the stage. Neither she nor the director have made the slightest attempt to adjust her performance for the camera and not only is she too long in the tooth for the part, her histrionics resemble a grotesque parody of Victorian melodrama. This is in stark contrast to the minimalist acting of Sessue Hayakawa as a seedy, sinister ivory trader who literally believes in striking while the iron is hot, originally Japanese but later changed to Burmese after protests from the Japanese community. Hayakawa described his acting style as 'absence of doing' and he is utterly mesmerising in the role. One is hardly surprised that his exotic/erotic persona caused such a fluttering of female hearts. One observer has noted that Miss Ward's acting is of the past whilst Hayakawa's is of the future.
Some forty years later he played Colonel Saito in 'Bridge over the River Kwai'. Despite acting in a bubble, learning his lines phonetically and needing endless retakes he astonished director David Lean by being nominated for a best supporting Oscar. This goes to prove that if you've got it, you've got it.
helpful•40
- brogmiller
- Dec 12, 2021
- How long is The Cheat?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $17,311 (estimated)
- Runtime59 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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