The Cheat

I'm trying to think how the 1930s Great Depression audience would have identified with this woman who throws around $10,000 like yesterday's garbage. But in hoping for her comeuppance, who knew it would involve a branding iron?! Even that's not enough to make this a memorable outing for Bankhead, and her histrionics in a ridiculous trial sequence don't help either.

Man this movie was stupid, I mean that in a good way. The story itself was decent, the acting was over the top and pretty bad, but it's the final act that totally jumps the shark, we had brandings, shootings, and angry mob riot and an idiotic epilogue.

Utterly goofy.

I enjoyed the a lot about the atmosphere and direction about this film, but not so impressed about the casting. Having seen the 1915 version of this movie where Sessue Hayakawa played the ultimate heel, it was just awkward watching Irving Pichel in the same role not being close to display the same kind of natural evil as Hayakawa did. Tallulah Bankhead as the lady with gambling problems takes a little getting used too, but did a fine job at it. Harvey Stephens in his first movie role was okay.

The plot reminds, at times, of noir before such a term was coined: the characters are driven by self-obsession to lies, manipulation and self-destruction. It's a bummer, then, that the subliminally racist "Oriental" mulatto overtones hinder a modern appreciation, and Tellulah seems out of her element when playing subservient. The camera does some interesting things when it ventures outside, though.

Starts out very nice, but then the hokum index rises rather sharply, with some painfully theatrical moments. At any rate, fun to see Tallulah in a rare screen appearance, as well as Pichel (the guy who discovered Natalie Wood) in an acting role. Also a spiffy-looking picture, with a surprisingly mobile camera (especially given the director's stage pedigree). Btw fans of goofy headgear will surely cherish this one.