Manslaughter/The Cheat

A double feature of silents from legendary director Cecil B. Demille, MANSLAUGHTER and THE CHEAT showcase the master's penchant for lurid storylines and exotic settings. MANSLAUGHTER (1922): Cecil B. DeMille directed this Jazz Age cautionary tale, a lurid melodrama that stars Leatrice Joy as Lydia, a pampered society party girl. When Lydia's carelessness results in the death of motorcycle cop, she must reevaluate her penchant for debauchery and her irresponsible lifestyle. Unfortunately, the prosecutor in her trial is also her fiance, Daniel, whose descriptions of Roman orgies allow Demille to cut between scenes of the Romans and their present day counterparts, thereby offering his commentary on the Jazz Age and setting up a surprising finale. THE CHEAT (1915): Cecil B. De Mille's 1915 melodrama was a cause célèbre for its sexual bluntness as well as for its gorgeous cinematography, richly atmospheric lighting, and stunning art direction. Fannie Ward stars as Edith Hardy, a young Long Island society wife who finds herself in deep trouble when she gambles with funds "borrowed" from the Red Cross and loses every penny. Desperate to avoid a scandal, she begs Japanese ivory trader Arakau (Sessue Hayakawa) for a loan. He agrees, but Edith finds out too late that he wants more than money in return. Fannie Ward delivers a delightfully hysterical performance, ripe with post-Victorian masochism. DeMille's skillfull examination of early-20th-century aristocracy, obsessed with taboo sexual fantasies, is astonishingly modern. The lighting technique used, which became known as Lansky Lighting, named after Paramount cofounder Jesse L. Lansky, eclipses the characters in darkness and illuminates them from one side in a gorgeous Rembrandt-like effect. A stunning combination of spectacular DeMille elements makes THE CHEAT an early Hollywood silent classic.