Manslaughter & The Cheat (DVD)
In the silent era, Cecil B. Demille stood at the forefront of Hollywood directors, a visual stylist who created fashionable fables of women caught in tempests of temptation.
Accompanied by a lively score by the Alloy Orchestra, MANSLAUGHTER stars Leatrice Joy as a pampered debutante who is forced to confront her irresponsible lifestyle when she causes the death of a traffic cop. To emphasize the debauchery of the Jazz Age elite, DeMille interwove scenes of champagne-soaked parties and Roman orgies, a device that served as a stern warning (while providing a titillating spectacle) to the wayward youth of America.
Mixed messages also abound in THE CHEAT, in which a society woman (Fannie Ward) allows a wealthy Burmese trader (Sessue Hayakawa) to settle her debt for her, not realizing that in exchange he intends to brand her flesh as his own. Highly influential for its dramatic low-key lighting and its frank depiction of extra-marital intrigue, THE CHEAT tapped into a vein of post-Victorian female masochism, eroticism and Orientalism of the day, exploring the taboo desire to be forcefully seduced and possessed by a man of another (as in Rudolph Valentino's SHEIK films several years later).
The Cheat

A society woman falls victim to a Burmese ivory trader (Sessue Hayakawa) who intends to brand her for his own. A visually powerful today as when it was made. U.S. 1915. 59 min. B/W. more info
Manslaughter

Leatrice Joy as a pampered debutante who is forced to confront her irresponsible lifestyle when she causes the death of a traffic cop. Dir. Cecil B. DeMille. U.S. 1922. 100 mins. Color-tinted B&W. Music by The Alloy Orchestra. A Paramount Picture. more info
The Cheat
"A masterpiece! A serious, bizarre and disturbing fable [that] suggests the favorite DeMille mixture of sex, sadism and sacrifice, washed down with lurid melodrama...as powerful as ever today." - Kevin Brownlow, The Parade's Gone By
"One of the great accomplishments of the American cinema." - René Clair
Interested in bringing these titles to your school or library? If you'd like to have an in-class viewing, on-campus screening, or purchase a DVD for your library's collection, please contact Estelle Grosso or call (212) 629-6880 with your request.
Manslaughter may also be available with Public Performance Rights (PPR) and Digital Site Licensing (DSL) for colleges and universities. To purchase a DVD with PPR or DSL, please contact Estelle Grosso or call (212) 629-6880.
Click here to learn more about The Cheat at Kino Lorber Edu
Click here to learn more about Manslaughter at Kino Lorber Edu
To read more about Kino Lorber Edu's terms of use and ordering information, visit Kino Lorber Edu.
MONDOCANE is "a potent tonal mix of the post-apocalyptic and the proto-cyberpunk." – Tommaso Tocci, La Repubblica…' https://t.co/M1sSzQVEBD'
RT' @am_cinematheque': NEPTUNE FROST (2021) limited engagement coming to LF3 June 17th - 24th! Plus, Q&A w/ filmmakers' @SaulWilliams' &' @dream…'
RT' @letterboxd': Sergei Parajanov’s 4K-restored Kyiv Frescoes is streaming exclusively for free now on Kino Now, courtesy of' @KinoLorber': ht…
RT' @cinemainitaly': “Oliver Twist meets Blade Runner in the dusty and industrial world of Mondocane.” – Di Mario Manca,' @VanityFair' Directo…
After a bloody double-cross leaves him for dead, professional hit man Jeff (Charles Bronson) tracks the shooter and…' https://t.co/wZvK1MA4ng'
We are proud to present a 4K restoration of Sergei Parajanov’s KYIV FRESCOES, available free and exclusively on …' https://t.co/KrlYmS5PRX'
RT' @Lilfilm': Out today on Blu and KinoCult! Has one of the most intense climaxes I’ve ever seen. Directed by Sergio Sollima and co-written…
RT' @clecinematheque': KAMIKAZE HEARTS shows' @clecinematheque' Thu., May 19 at 8:50pm and Sun., May 22 at 6:30pm!' https://t.co/WDamu5Cc1c'
Two best friends, almost brothers, are caught between love, crime and ambition in a world of the future that looks…' https://t.co/5wxUFjJiRe'
General Inquiries
333 W. 39th St., Ste. 503
New York, NY 10018
Tel. (800) 562-3330
Fax. (212) 714-0871
Press & Media
For publicity assistance and press inquiries please contact us by emailing dninh@kinolorber.com or calling 212-629-6880.
Educational
Please visit our educational site at www.KinoLorberEDU.com
For assistance with educational orders, please contact us at:
Phone:212-629-6880
Fax: 212-714-0871
email: edu@kinolorber.com