Studios were transitioning from sets with glass ceilings for natural lighting to closed sets with artificial lighting by the time Cecil B. DeMille made "The Cheat", one of the earliest films to feature lighting for more than clarity. DeMille and cinematographer Alvin Wyckoff extensively use chiaroscuro effects, or "Rembrandt lighting", to illuminate psychological states, for symbolism, drama and precursory shadows--for art. DeMille experimented with lighting in other films around this time, including "The Golden Chance", which he made coincident with this film. Notably, Benjamin Christensen and other Danish filmmakers had been creating interesting lighting effects, as had Russian filmmaker Yevgeni Bauer and perhaps a few others, probably influencing DeMille. "The Cheat" was popular in Paris and impressed French Impressionist filmmakers, like Abel Gance.
The story is throwaway, although the sex and racial issues, obviously, grab one's attention. How DeMille tells, or shows, the story is what's remarkable. The opening scene of the Japanese ivory king sets the tone: with no fill lights, the scene is lit by diegetic sources; shadows cover the character, and the background is darkness. In addition to other benefits, this isolates the character and his actions, focusing viewers' attention; it's a change from Billy Bitzer and D.W. Griffith's iris shots, the then established technique for such an effect. As mentioned at this website, Sessue Hayakawa's Japanese ivory king was changed to Burmese for the 1918 re-release--not the last time Hayakawa starred in a film that appeased to Japanese relations (i.e. "The Bridge on the River Kwai"). Offending the Burmese is easier to get away with, although Asians in general are stereotyped. The courtroom scene, with a racist riot nearly exploding, in addition to Hayakawa's restrained performance somewhat reconciles my objections, though.
Low-key lighting makes for other memorable moments, including scenes where DeMille and Wyckoff make great use of Wilfred Buckland's minimalist sets, creating silhouettes behind rice paper. In another scene, the husband's shadow is seen over the bodies of his wife and Hayakawa before he physically enters the frame. Darkness follows Edith for most of her "cheating" deeds, including the branding scene. The lighting distinguishes this film, and it has had a lasting influence on film-making. Watch "The Whispering Chorus" next; perhaps, DeMille's last hurrah at art.
The story is throwaway, although the sex and racial issues, obviously, grab one's attention. How DeMille tells, or shows, the story is what's remarkable. The opening scene of the Japanese ivory king sets the tone: with no fill lights, the scene is lit by diegetic sources; shadows cover the character, and the background is darkness. In addition to other benefits, this isolates the character and his actions, focusing viewers' attention; it's a change from Billy Bitzer and D.W. Griffith's iris shots, the then established technique for such an effect. As mentioned at this website, Sessue Hayakawa's Japanese ivory king was changed to Burmese for the 1918 re-release--not the last time Hayakawa starred in a film that appeased to Japanese relations (i.e. "The Bridge on the River Kwai"). Offending the Burmese is easier to get away with, although Asians in general are stereotyped. The courtroom scene, with a racist riot nearly exploding, in addition to Hayakawa's restrained performance somewhat reconciles my objections, though.
Low-key lighting makes for other memorable moments, including scenes where DeMille and Wyckoff make great use of Wilfred Buckland's minimalist sets, creating silhouettes behind rice paper. In another scene, the husband's shadow is seen over the bodies of his wife and Hayakawa before he physically enters the frame. Darkness follows Edith for most of her "cheating" deeds, including the branding scene. The lighting distinguishes this film, and it has had a lasting influence on film-making. Watch "The Whispering Chorus" next; perhaps, DeMille's last hurrah at art.