Actually, “The Cheat” and “The Typhoon” were a double package, both featuring Sessue Hayakawa as main character. I thought it was remarkable that a sizable amount of people left after “The Cheat”, and after shortly speaking to some people passing us by, I realized that they did so completely on purpose. Those people probably have more important films to see at this important 7pm time slot, and perhaps they are right. As for me, Stephen Horne’s accompaniment was even more fun in “The Typhoon”.
The Typhoon
USA 1914, Reginald Barker, 63’
The Japanese spy Tokorama lives in Paris and uses his function as a diplomat to gather secret data on France. At the same time, he is dating a French actress who is a little too interested in his private life. When things go awry with her ex-boyfriend, she is being killed in Tokorama’s house. The Japanese delegation chooses a young student to confess to the murder so Tokorama can continue his work. But Tokorama cannot get over the deed he’s done.
Death count: 2.
There is a reason why so many left before “The Typhoon”. Ultimately the film is just as racist as “The Cheat”, and it’s hard to tell what is worse – are the Japanese a group of idiots with an overly heightened sense of sacrifice and patriotism, or are they dangerous psychopaths and rapists? There is one thing they both agree on: Japanese men are clearly into white women. Griffith-like racism aside, the more important reason not to watch the film is probably its terrible quality. Since Cecil B. DeMille absolutely deserves his spot in the list of great directors, it’s absolutely painful to see Reginald Barker’s work in direct comparison. The use of light and shadows is clumsy, the composition of shots is absolutely horrendous (I remember several examples of the main character being almost out of the frame for no good reason) and the storytelling is amateurish. There is nothing redeeming about this film really, absolutely nothing.