In my journeys through the films of 1931, I have come across several films with Tallulah Bankhead. I was not really impressed. She was always a wise cracking caricature of the part she was playing and not that likeable.
But now I have just watched "The Cheat". First of all, Tallulah Bankhead never looked so good on camera as she does in this film. I thought she was the epitome of what a Hollywood Diva should look like.
Second, Bankhead does a GREAT job playing the role. She is real. She is vulnerable. She is in love. She is in trouble. She won me over. I know some critics, when the film came out, panned the film and her performance, but I thought she did great. And I would watch it again.
The film is pre-code so there is a bit of "racy" theme but it is mild compared to today's standards.
Bankhead has an addiction to gambling and spending money. That is not a good combination of traits to have! She gets in debt but does not want her husband to know. He is working very hard to attain a deal in business that will make them wealthy but all the money is going to his work. Along comes a cad played by Irving Pichel, who is really sleazy, and he has a crush on Bankhead. He offers her all the money she needs if she will give him sex. She turns him down because she truly loves her husband.
Desperate, she finally agrees to take the money and to meet Pichel for a rendezvous. But, before they meet, her husband announces they are now super rich. She goes to Pichel to give him back all the money he gave her and tries to walk out. Pichel says that Bankhead belongs to him and, to prove it, holds her down and fire brands her chest with his initials!!
I won't go further. I want you to see how it turns out. But in the publicity photos they used for the film, they show the brand being put on her back. They even show the court room scene where Bankhead shows the court the brand - but it is on her back. However, in the film, the brand is right on her chest. I guess having a woman pull her top down to expose a partial breast was just too much for the publicity photos!! (Though it might have gotten more folks to come see the film!!)
Check this out. Tallulah Bankhead is stunning. And she really does a good job in this film. I am now a big fan of hers!! I think she may have a future career!! ;-)
Classy Bankhead in a Classy Classic!
But now I have just watched "The Cheat". First of all, Tallulah Bankhead never looked so good on camera as she does in this film. I thought she was the epitome of what a Hollywood Diva should look like.
Second, Bankhead does a GREAT job playing the role. She is real. She is vulnerable. She is in love. She is in trouble. She won me over. I know some critics, when the film came out, panned the film and her performance, but I thought she did great. And I would watch it again.
The film is pre-code so there is a bit of "racy" theme but it is mild compared to today's standards.
Bankhead has an addiction to gambling and spending money. That is not a good combination of traits to have! She gets in debt but does not want her husband to know. He is working very hard to attain a deal in business that will make them wealthy but all the money is going to his work. Along comes a cad played by Irving Pichel, who is really sleazy, and he has a crush on Bankhead. He offers her all the money she needs if she will give him sex. She turns him down because she truly loves her husband.
Desperate, she finally agrees to take the money and to meet Pichel for a rendezvous. But, before they meet, her husband announces they are now super rich. She goes to Pichel to give him back all the money he gave her and tries to walk out. Pichel says that Bankhead belongs to him and, to prove it, holds her down and fire brands her chest with his initials!!
I won't go further. I want you to see how it turns out. But in the publicity photos they used for the film, they show the brand being put on her back. They even show the court room scene where Bankhead shows the court the brand - but it is on her back. However, in the film, the brand is right on her chest. I guess having a woman pull her top down to expose a partial breast was just too much for the publicity photos!! (Though it might have gotten more folks to come see the film!!)
Check this out. Tallulah Bankhead is stunning. And she really does a good job in this film. I am now a big fan of hers!! I think she may have a future career!! ;-)
Classy Bankhead in a Classy Classic!