Elsa may dread Yama, the God of Destruction but learns that her fear is a matter of perspective: for Yama also dispenses Justice. Director George Abbott and DP George Folsey block and photograph the film in motion with fluid camerawork, and allow Tallulah Bankhead to cavort and emote physically, mostly in medium shot, her husky voice dripping with sensuality. And of course, it’s Pre-Code as an anal sex joke is dropped (twice) in the first five minutes!
The title is a quadruple entendre as all three major characters cheat. Elsa (Tallulah Bankhead) appears to cheat twice, being unfaithful to her husband (she isn’t) and reneging on her indecent proposal with the cosmopolitan millionaire Hardy Livingston (she doesn’t). Elsa’s husband Jeffrey (Harvey Stephens) lies to the police in the film’s third act, and Livingston (Irving Pichel) cheats in claiming to be the victim while testifying in court. Seems Elsa lives and gambles above her means and when she loses $10,000 while playing a “hunch” and, with another “hunch” from Jeffrey's stockbroker cohort, places a Milk Fund charity bankroll of another $10,000 on a “can’t miss” stock so she can pay her debt and principal, which of course sinks into oblivion overnight, she must now must find a way to pay it all back without her husband knowing!
Enter Hardy Livingston, world traveler whose lifestyle is embedded in Asian Culture (a concoction of Chinese, Japanese, Thailand, India) who sees his opportunity to possess (as in fuck) Elsa by giving her the money; he’s such a creep that his intentions are known to both Elsa and the audience upon their first meeting! However, he leverages her situation to his advantage. Never trust a dude that collects dolls made to look like his ex-girlfriends! When she actually pays the money back to Livingston (scandal averted, Jeffrey's big stock deal came through just in time), Livingston smashes the doll he made of her and fucking brands her with a hot iron directly over her left breast! Holy shit. And we see it in noir-like shadow with her piercing scream. She threatens suicide so when Livingston gives her a gun, she smartly shoots him! Jeffrey stumbles upon the scene and takes the rap for the shooting in order to retain her honor, I suppose.
Courtroom antics ensue and Elsa can’t keep the truth suppressed any longer and bursts forth and tells the sordid details, ripping down her blouse to show Livingston’s wicked brand! The courtroom goes crazy and attacks Livingston! Complete chaos. Our heroine and her husband are acquitted, and all seems a happy ending. Now that Jeffrey’s finances are secure, maybe they can afford Elsa’s plastic surgery.
Final Grade: (B+)