In 1915, The Cheat was the first modern film in terms of its sexually charged content, and was initially banned in several states. A society lady (Fanny Ward) gambles away Red Cross funds and borrows from a wealthy Asian (Sessue Hayakawa) on the implied promise of becoming his mistress. When she refuses this, he brands her with a red-hot iron from his collection; murder ensues, and during the trial she must bare her brand in court. De Mille consciously balanced this lurid subject matter with a restrained and elegant film style. The Cheat set standards of acting, decor, frame composition and lighting which were not surpassed for years, even by De Mille, and this film, in its quiet way, probably had as profound an influence on the development of the narrative as did Griffith's Birth of a Nation, made the same year. This lovely print is taken from the Eastman House negative.