The Cheat

The 110-year-old film The Cheat occupies an important place in film history. Its stylistic techniques – particularly its bold camera work and sharp contrasts between light and shadow – in many ways foreshadow the advent of expressionism and film noir. Together with The Squaw (1914), considered by some to be the first feature film shot in Hollywood, it established director Cecil B. DeMille as a leading figure in American cinema. At the same time, however, the film was not without controversy. It depicts an Asian merchant, played by the legendary Sessue Hayakawa, in a highly offensive manner. As early as the 1910s, the character’s nationality was changed from Japanese to Burmese in the intertitles, but this did not solve the fundamental problem. The infamous branding scene was often censored. At the NFF, the film will be accompanied by live music performed by cellist Terezie Kovalová, who is currently enjoying success with her solo album Zinka. (mh)