Скачать или смотреть The Cheaters | 1930 | Crime, Romance, Drama

Title: The Cheaters | 1930 | Crime, Romance, Drama
Director: Paulette McDonagh
Writer / Screenwriter: Paulette McDonagh
Studio: McDonagh Productions
Starring: Marie Lorraine (Isabel McDonagh), Arthur Greenaway, John Faulkner, Josef Bambach, Leal Douglas, Nellie McNiven, Elaine de Chair, Frank Hawthorne, Reg Quartly
Release Date: 1930 (Australian release)
Runtime: ~94 minutes
Format: Black and white; predominantly silent film with part-talkie sequences attempted
Country: Australia
Language: English (silent with some added sound segments)
Genres: Crime, Romance, Drama

Series / Serial: Standalone feature
Episode: N/A

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Chapters:
00:00:00 Bill Marsh’s embezzlement and imprisonment
00:15:00 Twenty years later — Marsh’s criminal empire
00:30:00 Paula as accomplice lures wealthy victims
00:45:00 Paula meets and falls for Lee Travers
01:00:00 Conflict between love and crime
01:15:00 Final confrontation, reveal, and resolution

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Summary:
The Cheaters is a 1930 Australian crime drama directed and written by Paulette McDonagh, featuring an embezzler named Bill Marsh who, after serving a long prison sentence, builds a powerful criminal network that uses his daughter Paula as bait to rob affluent targets. Paula’s world changes when she meets and falls for Lee Travers, the adopted son of her father’s old adversary, businessman John Travers. Her growing conscience and feelings for Lee create tension between her criminal life and the possibility of reform. As events unfold, revelations and confrontations lead to Paula’s release and the opportunity for a new life free of crime.

The film was originally shot as a silent feature in 1929 and later adapted into a partial sound version in 1930, though the part-talkie format was not widely successful. It stands as one of the key surviving works by the pioneering McDonagh sisters in early Australian cinema.

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Background:
Produced independently by the McDonagh sisters — Paulette (director/writer), Isabel (lead actress), and Phyllis (art director) — the film reflects strong aspirations in Australian filmmaking during the late silent era. Despite challenges with securing distribution and the transition to sound cinema, The Cheaters combines crime melodrama with romantic themes and remains notable for its narrative ambition and female creative leadership.

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Public Domain / Rights:
Original Release: 1930
Original Studio / Distributor: McDonagh Productions
Copyright Status: Public Domain (films published in 1930 are in the public domain in the United States)
Renewal: N/A

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Hashtags:
TheCheaters1930 PublicDomain PauletteMcDonagh AustralianCinema MarieLorraine CrimeDrama ClassicFilm