![]() ![]() ![]() These stereotypes cannot-and should not-be disregarded or forgiven. But the film’s visual coding of Haka as Japanese is unmistakeable: not only does he wear a haori over his Western shirts, his brand is a Shintō torii. In the film’s original release Haka was Japanese-his name was Hishituru Tori-but his ethnicity was changed to Burmese when re-released in 1918 out of respect for Japan’s allegiance as an American ally. His lodgings are bathed in demonic blacks and shadows: a dour Buddhist shrine crouches in darkness next to the brass pot where he heats his infernal brand. Unapologetically monstrous, Haka embodies every Western suspicion of “Orientals” as greedy, slant-eyed schemers who harbor both a retarded regard for morality and a rapacious hunger for innocent white women. The Cheat proves an uncomfortable sit for modern viewers in large part due to the character of Haka. All this leads to a typically melodramatic courtroom sequence with Jack’s name being cleared, Haka being revealed for the dastardly villain he is, and love conquering all with husband and wife tearfully reconciling. When Edith shoots him in the shoulder while escaping, Jack is framed for the crime. ![]() But Haka refuses and cruelly brands her shoulder with his seal, claiming her as his property. Unexpectedly, her husband Jack (Richard Hardy) wins big on an investment gamble and, claiming a catastrophic night playing Bridge, manages to convince him to give her the $10,000 she needs to pay Haka off. Desperate for money, she signs her “virtue” away to Burmese ivory merchant Haka Arakau (Sessue Hayakawa) in exchange for a bond that will cover her loses. It begins when spoiled socialite Edith Hardy (Fannie Ward) embezzles $10,000 from a Red Cross charity for a get-rich-quick scheme that fails. And its plummet into obscurity is our generation’s shame.Ī moody melodrama, The Cheat involves one of DeMille’s favorite themes: the dissolution and restoration of marriages. And yet a century later it has been almost completely ignored, overshadowed by the later epics and crowd-pleasing monoliths of its director. At the time, it was instrumental in legitimizing American-specifically Hollywood-films abroad in Europe. Director René Clair labeled it “one of the great accomplishments of the American cinema.” Within a few years of its release, this curious American film became a French cause célèbre, hypnotizing audiences, critics, and filmmakers alike with astonishing new techniques and cinematic possibilities. A film… showing us what surprising innovations, what emotion, what natural and well-designed lightning can add to cinematic fiction,” declared Colette, one of France’s preeminent novelists of the early 20th century. “In Paris this week, a movie theatre has become an art school. ![]()
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