Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Monday 2 June 1930, page 8


AUSTRALIAN FILM.

"THE CHEATERS."

The Misses McDonagh's latest film, "The Cheaters," which they entered in the Com-monwealth Government contest, Is not as Interesting as their last production, "Far Paradise." For one thing, they have slavishly copied American models, Instead of striving to give their work originality. The Americanisms, "big boy," "dame," and '"gangster," creep Into the captions. For "The Cheaters" is, through the greater part of its length, a silent film. In looking at it, one has to make allowance for this; because at the time when "Far Para-dise" appeared, talking films had not yet In-vaded the theatres, and, by contrast, made the use of captions seem strained and artificial.

Like "Fellers," the film that won the prize in the contest, "The Cheaters" suffers from a poor, badly-told story. Especially toward the end, absurdities spring up in battalions. The piece of dialogue that brings the picture to a close is an extreme example of bathos. It would surely be easy enough to write such dialogue In the modern spirit, instead of in the bombastically sentimental style of out-

worn melodrama.

The acting of the cast, headed by Miss Marie Lorraine, is weak, and it goes at too slow a tempo, flying to the other extreme from the fault of jerky rapidity that used to mar local productions. The best feature of the film lies In its settings. Those photographed out of-doors provide a number of interesting pano-ramic views of the surroundings of Sydney, and the Interiors, though, modest in extent, have been tastefully lurnli..hed.

"The Cheaters" was screened before a large audience last night at the Roxy Theatre.