The Cheat
Lobby card
Directed byGeorge Fitzmaurice
Written byHector Turnbull (scenario)
Jeanie MacPherson (scenario)
Ouida Bergère (adaptation)
Produced byAdolph Zukor
Jesse L. Lasky
George Fitzmaurice
StarringPola Negri
Jack Holt
CinematographyArthur C. Miller
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • August 27, 1923 (1923-08-27)
Running time
8 reels (2232.05 meters)
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

The Cheat is a 1923 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures, and is a remake of Cecil B. DeMille's 1915 film of the same name using the same script by Hector Turnbull and Jeanie MacPherson. This version stars Pola Negri and was directed by George Fitzmaurice.[1][2][3]

Plot

Poster for the film

As described in a film magazine review,[4] Carmelita De Cordoba a beautiful young South American woman who has been betrothed by her stern father to Don Pablo, whom she despises, meets and falls in love with Dudley Drake, a New York City broker, while in Paris. Claude Mace, an art swindler masquerading as East Indian Prince Rao-Singh, hopes to marry her for her wealth. Carmelita elopes with Dudley and is disinherited. The Prince, after lending her some money, induces her to dine alone with him. Meanwhile Dudley makes a fortune. Carmelita and the Prince quarrel and she shoots him. Dudley, arriving on the scene, takes responsibility for the crime. He is convicted. Carmelita goes to the court and confesses, showing a brand on her shoulder that is the Prince's work. The verdict is set aside and all is rosy.

Cast

Preservation status

With no prints of The Cheat located in any film archives,[5] it is a lost film.

References

  1. ^ Progressive Silent Film List: The Cheat at silentera.com
  2. ^ The American Film Institute Catalog of Feature Films: 1921-30 by The American Film Institute (1971)
  3. ^ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Cheat
  4. ^ "Tried and Proved Pictures: The Cheat". Exhibitors Trade Review. New York: Exhibitors Review Publishing Corporation. 15 (9): 36–37. January 19, 1924. Retrieved July 5, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. ^ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Cheat

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Cheat (1923 film).


Films directed by George Fitzmaurice
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