The Cheat

(Cecil B. DeMille, US 1915, 59 min., 35mm)

Painstakingly restored at George Eastman Museum, DeMille's 1915 tragic tale is a rarely seen masterwork of silent cinema. Praised for its inventive use of lighting and shadow, The Cheat is as visually striking as many of the classics of German Expressionism. Fannie Ward plays Edith Hardy, an impulsive social butterfly who foolishly gambles away local charity funds and finds herself indebted to a scheming Asian man with more than money on his mind. Extremely controversial upon its release for both its daring exploration of sexuality and its stereotypical portrayal of Asians, The Cheat remains an entrancing tale of greed, deceit, and the threat of the liberated woman.