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Forfaiture
1937 Drama
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Credits
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Director: Marcel L'Herbier
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Script: Jean-Georges Auriol, Jacques Companéez, Herbert Juttke, Jacques Natanson, based on the novel "The Cheat" by Hector Turnbull
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Photo: André Dantan, Eugen Schüfftan
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Music: Michel Michelet
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Cast: Victor Francen (Pierre Moret),
Sessue Hayakawa (Prince Hu-Long),
Louis Jouvet (Valfar),
Lise Delamare (Denise Moret),
Lucas Gridoux (Tang-Si),
Eve Francis (Mrs. Curtis),
Lucien Nat (Maître Ribeyre),
Pierre Magnier (Le Président de la société),
Sylvia Bataille (Ming),
Guy Decomble (Un joueur),
Paul Oettly (Le président du tribunal),
Tsugundo Maki (Su-Hong),
Jean Brochard (Félicien),
Marcel Duhamel (Casaux),
Martial Rèbe (L'avocat général),
Albert Malbert (Le Gall),
Ky Duyen (Le caissier de banque),
Marie-Jacqueline Chantal (Dame à l'audience) Madeleine Sologne
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Country: France
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Language: French
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Runtime: 94 min; B&W
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Aka: The Cheat
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Summary
Whilst her husband, the engineer Pierre Moret, is engaged on construction projects, Denise
occupies herself with charity work in the Chinese town that has become her home.
Tempted into a gambling den, she soon loses a fortune. She has no recourse but to
accept a gift of money from the wealthy Prince Hu-Long, who has fallen in love with her.
Realising that she cannot accept such a gift, Denise returns the money to the prince,
not realising that by taking the money she has become his property…
Review
Forfaiture is a noteworthy remake of Cecil B DeMille's 1915 silent film The
Cheat, with the majestic Sessue Hayakawa reprising the central male role. Marcel
L'Herbier’s approach to filmmaking could hardly be further from DeMille's, and consequently
this film is far darker, somewhat more atmospheric than the original, and with a noticeably
greater emphasis on character. As in many of L’Herbier’s early films, there is striking
a sense of scale, reflected in the grand palace interiors, the bustling Oriental street
scenes and widespread use of location sequences, more than satisfying the public appetite
for adventure-melodrama in exotic locations. This contrasts with use of confined,
under-lit shadowy interiors, which help to convey a sense of trauma and imprisonment,
reflecting the increasingly desperate mood of the film’s heroine. Most memorable
is the harrowing death sequence at the end of the film – a scene that is filmed with an
almost visceral relish, and which still has the power to mesmerise and shock its audience.
© James Travers 2006
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