The Cheat Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Cheat Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 14, 2021

George Abbott's "The Cheat" (1931) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the disc is an excursive new audio commentary by author and critic Simon Abrams. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Just one more bet

Four decades separate George Abbott’s The Cheat and Karel Reisz’s The Gambler, yet both films tell the exact same story. They just place their main characters on drastically different playgrounds.

Or, do they?

When was the last time you revisited The Gambler? Do you recall how James Caan’s character falls into the abyss of madness? Caan’s character is modeled after James Toback, who was a prominent member of the academic community until his gambling addiction ruined his career and then pushed him on the verge of self-destruction. Toback bounced back and documented his misery, but he was lucky because the overwhelming majority of gamblers that reach the abyss of madness never come back. This is how The Gambler ends -- Caan’s character reaches the point of no return and the final credits pop up. But it is not why I brought him up. I wonder if you recall where Caan spends most of his time as well as the type of people that are around him while his gambling addiction destroys him? He spends a lot of time in public places where he is easily recognized, communicating with people that trust and respect what he says. Next to him is a woman that genuinely loves him and understand exactly what he is trying to accomplish. The important point here is this: he is out in the open, borrowing and betting large amounts of money, gradually multiplying his loses, permanently erasing his chances of a recovery without anyone legitimately trying to help him. Even his own mother ends up giving him a large sum of money, which he promptly loses in an outrageous bet. But other than a couple of mafia guys no one actually understands his condition.

The main character in The Cheat, Elsa Carlyle (Tallulah Bankhead), struggles with the same severe gambling addiction. At a popular casino she loses big, requests a credit, and minutes later bets everything and loses again. In front of her husband, Jeffrey (Harvey Stephens), who has been busy working on a crucial business investment that can make him a millionaire, she manufactures silly stories explaining her expenses at the casino, but they are never questioned. There is no need, really, because Elsa is a mature intelligent woman who supposedly understands perfectly the risks gambling presents and knows how to avoid them. Supposedly. After she is repeatedly overpowered by her gambling addiction, in a moment of unprecedented weakness Elsa strikes an awful deal with a notorious wealthy playboy (Irving Pichel), and when later on she attempts to terminate it, her world spins out of control.

The final twenty or so minutes may seem a bit over the top to some viewers, but it would be primarily because they have never witnessed the self-destruction of a real compulsive gambler. Indeed, it can be every bit as grotesque and humiliating as the one that is depicted in The Cheat. Unconvinced? Well, do you recall what happens to Caan’s character after he enters that lousy bar at the end of The Gambler? When allowed to get this far, virtually all compulsive gamblers face the same fate.

Abbott’s film is a remake of Cecile B. DeMille’s 1915 film, and contrary to what you may read in some older articles, it is clearly the superior one. Excluding the slightly overemphasized legal drama, its portrayal of Elsa’s troubles is as authentic as it could have been in pre-Code Hollywood.

Bankhead looks really good, especially early into the film where she is still partially in control with her gambling addiction. Pichel looks genuinely repulsive too, though he could have been given slightly more time in front of the camera.

The Cheat Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Cheat arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The master that was used to produced this release was licensed from Universal. From what I saw on my system, I think it is quite clear that it was prepared a while ago. Indeed, the surface of the visuals has a slightly powdery appearance that was quite common on masters that were finalized during the DVD era; similar minor surface imperfections can be observed as well. Delineation and clarity can be quite pleasing, but they are not as consistent as they could have been. The grayscale is pretty decent, but this is another area where the age of the master is revealed. The new masters that are prepared by the folks at Universal have a very different complexion, especially when it comes to saturation levels and the manner in which nuances are balanced. There is some unevenness here and there, but the overall stability of the visuals is good. Finally, you will see some minor flecks and scratches, but they will not affect negatively your viewing experience. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Cheat Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The dialog is clear and easy to follow. However, it time has left its mark on the audio because there is quite a bit of unevenness -- which I don't think is entirely inherited -- minor hiss, and even a few pops. I think that nowadays there are plenty of digital tools that can successfully minimize or even completely eliminate many of these imperfections, but on the other hand the basics here are still fine. Remember, folks, this film comes from 1931, so it is actually not that easy to tell whether the overwhelming majority of the minor 'issues' that are on the current audio track aren't actually replicated from the surviving elements. The bottom line is this: the quality of the audio is good enough for you to enjoy the film.

The Cheat Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by author and critic Simon Abrams. I listened to it in its entirety and enjoyed it quite a lot because it actually offers plenty of interesting information the pre-Code era in which The Cheat was conceived. Also, there is good information about Tallulah Bankhead, George Abbott, other stars of the period, etc.

The Cheat Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The 'scandalous' material in The Cheat is actually on par with what you will witness in The Gambler. Of course, the socio-cultural environment in each film is different, which is why their characters do some unique maneuvers, but the process of self-destruction that is initiated by their gambling addiction is identical. It is why I don't agree that bits of The Cheat are way over the top, too grotesque, as some old articles have speculated. This is a fine pre-Code film, folks, so if you have not seen it, you should pick up a copy for your library. RECOMMENDED.