Der Sohn des Scheich (1926) Online

THE SON OF THE SHEIK (United Artists, 1926), directed by George Fitzmaurice, reunites the leading players of Rudolph Valentino and Vilma Banky, most recent stars of THE EAGLE (UA, 1925), in what has become one of the most popular films from the silent era, mainly because of it not only being Valentino's final screen performance, but is where the legend of Valentino began. A sequel to his earlier success, THE SHIEK (Paramount, 1921), Valentino's career up to this point consisted of hit and miss stories over the next few years until THE EAGLE not only brought renewed interest in Valentino, but reassured it with THE SON OF THE SHEIK. Since sequels were a rarity during that time, Valentino, as did Douglas Fairbanks with the sequel to his immensely popular, THE MARK OF ZORRO (1920), DON Q, SON OF ZORRO (1925), Valentino reprises his original role as well as portraying his own son, Ahmed. Agnes Ayres, Valentino's leading lady in THE SHEIK, is offered special billing in the opening credits, who also re-enacts her original role as Diana, this time as wife and mother.

The story begins with the opening titles that read as to the location, "Not East of Suez, but South of Algiers." Yasmin (Vilma Banky) is the daughter of Andre(George Fawcett), a renegade Frenchman and leader of a group of thieves. She supports them through her dancing publicly. In the marketplace (as recalled by Yasmin via flashback), she meets Ahmed (Valentino), a handsome young sheik, and the two fall in love. After meeting with Yasmin secretly one night, Ahmed is captured by her father's renegades and held captive in a building where he hangs by his tied-up wrists placed on the window bars, and subject to whip torture for not revealing the name of his father and other information. After being freed by his men, Ahmed, believing Yasmin as his betrayer, abducts the girl and subjects her to his methods of torture, with one scene looking at Yasmin with vengeance in his eyes, and (off camera) putting her through the process of rape. It would be his father, Ahmed Ben Hassan (Valentino) who orders him to release the girl. After learning the truth from Ramadan (Karl Dane), Ahmed tries to win back Yasmin, who has returned to the dance hall, and now wants nothing to ever do with him.

In many ways, a much more interesting story than its predecessor, and brief to the point at 68 minutes. Aside from the fine chemistry between Valentino and Banky, the supporting villain as played by Montagu Love, along with sandy sets with production designs by William Cameron Menzies, THE SON OF THE SHEIK is Valentino's film from start to finish. And with this film as well does the Vilma Banky name remain legendary. But who knows how far Valentino's screen career would have gone had it not been for his untimely death at the age of 31 shortly following the film's release.

THE SON OF THE SHEIK did enjoy frequent theatrical revivals for a number of years, usually on a double bill with THE EAGLE, as well as television showings during the early to mid 1960s. It became one of the selected films shown during the summer months on weekly public television series, "The Silent Years" (1971), hosted by Orson Welles (New York City area, WNET, Channel 13, on July 13, 1971). In spite of its popularity and the legend behind it, what's interesting to note is that while the twelve movies featured on "The Silent Years" did enjoy rebroadcasts up till the mid 1970s, THE SON OF THE SHEIK wasn't included in the reruns. Some years would pass before its availability onto video cassette and/or DVD (Blackhawk and/or Kino), the best being from the Killiam Collection accompanied by a theater organ score by Jack Ward. THE SON OF THE SHEIK, which played as part of its silent film collection on American Movie Classics around 1996, can be currently seen and studied whenever played on Turner Classic Movies. For those interested in the legend of Valentino, THE SON OF THE SHEIK, which provides two Valentinos for the price of one, as well as being an important part in cinema history, is worthy screen entertainment. (***)

It is sadly appropriate that in his final movie Valentino plays a stronger and more nuanced version of his signature character: Sheik Ahmed, the impassioned lover who is initially impetuous, self centred and brutal, but who gradually matures into an admirable man. In this case, the male lead is actually the son of the original sheik, but Valentino also plays, just as engagingly, the father who is now middle aged, wiser (this is essentially the adviser role Adolphe Menjou had in the original movie) but still commanding and able to wield a sword.

As wasn't the case with "The Sheik," the script acknowledges the luridness of its material in a tongue-in-cheek manner (one memorable title card reads "The night was young at the Café Maure. Not a knife had been thrown—so far") while not mocking it to the point at the movie would lapse into parody and lose its pulpy charms. For example, in one of the most famous scenes the sheik tries to put his rebellious son in his place by bending an iron bar; the son replies by straightening it out. This is deliberate camp that nonetheless clearly establishes the strength of character and body of both men. The film also departs from the original in the frank comic relief it provides in the form of a nasty but amusing little mountebank who seems to get on the good and bad characters' nerves in equal measure.

For those expecting titillation, the film does not disappoint. Valentino and the leading lady Vilma Banky, were involved in real life and it shows in the spooning scenes. The film also has plenty of the rougher, even perverse sexuality that in one form or another is present in nearly all of Valentino's films (even "The Eagle," the closest to a family picture Valentino ever made, has that brief scene with the hero flourishing a whip before the frightened female lead). Here we have Ahmed's rape of Yasmine which is far racier than the merely hinted at ravishment of Lady Diana in "The Sheik," and a striking (and homoerotic) sequence in which Valentino, tied up, his tailored white shirt torn to shreds, is subject to a prolonged whipping by a gang of thieves, the most sadistic of whom addresses him as "My young lion."

To me, this is the quintessential Valentino film and the one to show people who are curious about this actor's enduring mystique.

This was Valentino's last film, and he is excellent in it, but it is far from being his best film (as many critics claim). Certainly "Camille", "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse", "The Eagle" and "The Conquering Power" are much better films. This was designed as a rollicking and sexy adventure film, with large doses of cheap slapstick humour, and on that level succeeds admirably. That famous scene where Valentino ravishes Vilma Banky is extraordinary, and Valentino shows real talent in portraying both the son and the father (he is almost unrecognisable in the latter role). Great split screen work allows the two Valentinos to inter-relate well too.

The film makes you wonder what this talented and beautiful man may have achieved had he lived. Would he have made it in talkies? It's hard to believe such charisma would ever fail.

In the south of Algiers, in a camp of outcasts, the Frenchman André (George Fawcett) leads a troupe of mountebanks and thieves. His daughter Yasmin (Vilma Banky) is the dancer of the group and is promised to the cutthroat Moor Ghobah (Montague Love). However, Yasmin meets Ahmed (Rudolph Valentino), who is the Sheik's son but she does not know, and they fall in love for each other. When the young couple secretly dates in the ruins of Touggourt, where Yasmin dances, the criminals attack Ahmed, beat up and capture him, expecting to ask for a ransom. Ghobah poisons Ahmed, telling that Yasmin is a bait to lure victims for them. Ahmed escapes, and he abducts Yasmin and despises her. When he knows the truth, he fights against the gang of criminals trying to rescue her from Ghobah.

"The Son of the Sheik" is the last movie of Rudolph Valentino and a delightful adventure with romance, action and drama. The cinematography is impressive, and I particularly liked very much the sequences when Vilma Banky dances in Touggourt beginning with a close and opening to the whole place, and when Ahmed chases Ghobah and Yasmin in the desert. Considering the equipment available in 1926, big, heavy and with serious limitations, it is amazing how these scenes were shot. Rudolph Valentino is fantastic in the role of the son of the Sheik, and his agility recalled me Errol Flynn, when he fights in the bar of Touggourt, jumping on the chandelier. The beautiful Vilma Banky dances magnificently well, shows a great chemistry with Rudolph Valentino and has also a great interpretation. The intense music of Arthur Gutmann gives a perfect dynamic to this wonderful underrated film. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "O Filho do Sheik" ("The Son of the Sheik")

If anyone has heard about Valentino and wants to see what all the fuss was about, The Son of the Sheik is an excellent way to do so. Here he is five years past the overacting he exhibited in parts of the earlier installment. To top it off, he plays dual roles: the son and the father. And he does both admirably. The shots of the two characters in the same frame - touching each other, no less - are flawlessly executed. Generally, this is standard melodrama culminating in physical battles between the good guys and the bad guys and a final chase. Along the way we get a lot of exotic set pieces, lavishly furnished desert tents, horses racing across the dunes, smoky cafes in which dancing girls wriggle for tossed coins and a grand palace with spacious rooms and shiny floors. The intimate scenes between Valentino and the beauteous Vilma Banky are more sensuous than those of the previous film. Clips from these scenes will be familiar to anyone who has ever seen Valentino references in documentaries. Agnes Ayres reprises her role from The Sheik as Diana Mayo, now the wife of the older sheik and mother of his son, and she appears to have aged 20 years but is no less attractive. For Valentino, Banky and Ayres alone this is a treat.

This was a truly amazing film. TCM just played this along with four others for Valentine's Day. While "Camille" (What was with Nazimova's hair?), "The Eagle", "Four Horsemen", and "Conquering Power" were all good, "Son of the Sheik" was the best for Valentine's Day. The pure raw sensuality that Valentino portrayed was exciting. I've only been into the silent films for the past fours years, and as I'm only 22, one would think I have no appreciation for "old" people. However, this film had me online for a few hours finding pictures of Valentino in this film. HUBBA HUBBA!!! It really is a shame he didn't live longer. He very well could have made talkies, as the song I heard him record sounded lovely.

I only just watched 'Son of the Sheik' on dvd last night and was amazed at the textures of cinematography and the natural un-histrionic flow of the performances. While it may not be very profound or innovative, it never set out to be, and it is a far better flick than I expected, very rounded and organic and effortless. Vilma Banky is lovely and appropriately lowkey, and Valentino is every bit as exciting to watch as his celebrity maintained. Ahmed is NOT a character performance, Oscar material or anything, but Valentino instills this cardboard figure with the warmth of life, a quickening of the pulse, all very controlled and tasteful and humanly affecting rather than superhumanly virile. Of course he looks gorgeous, but so does the film itself. Some of the slapstick may seem dated by now, but then what about 'American Pie'.

In sands "Not East of Suez -- but South of Algiers," handsome Rudolph Valentino (as Ahmed) and beautiful dancing girl Vilma Bánky (as Yasmin) fall in love. Mr. Valentino learns that Ms. Bánky must dance for coins, which her wicked father George Fawcett (as André) gambles away. Mr. Fawcett and Montagu Love (as Ghabah) are part of a band of renegade thieves. Valentino wants Bánky for his own, but Fawcett isn't about to part with the goose that brings in the golden coins. Valentino is kidnapped, strung up, whipped, and held for ransom. Turns out, he's "The Son of the Sheik"...

Valentino is freed, with a lot of help from his friend Karl Dane (as Ramadan). Valentino thinks Bánky betrayed their love; and, he vengefully abducts her. Meanwhile, Ahmed's father Rudolph Valentino (in a dual role, as the original Sheik) and mother Agnes Ayres (as Diana) are preparing an arranged wedding for the younger Valentino. Father and son clash, over love and lust…

An indelible, essential film, "Son of the Sheik" finds Valentino at the top of his profession. George Fitzmaurice (direction), George Barnes (photography), William Cameron Menzies (sets), and George Marion Jr. (title cards) are all outstanding. Bánky and the supporting cast are excellent. The filmmakers create a rich, dreamy, and imaginary world; note how the opening "title card" refuses to be precise. This goes even further than the original "The Sheik" (1921) in establishing the films as something incompatible with reality; of course, both films suffer when taken without a grain of sand.

Valentino's characterizations are startlingly well-crafted; no doubt, many original film goers missed the nuances present in the younger Ahmed, and would not have even guessed, unless alerted, Valentino was also portraying the older Sheik. The "split screen" appearance of the two Valentinos is technically brilliant; and, even with make-up, Valentino's portrayal of the older Sheik shows an extraordinary range. In fact, Valentino could have essayed a double career as a dashing older man. Had he lived, Valentino might have been awarded his own best acting "Medal of Honor" for his performance, which was at least equal to John Barrymore's 1925 win, for "Beau Brummell".

********** Son of the Sheik (7/9/26) George Fitzmaurice ~ Rudolph Valentino, Vilma Banky, George Fawcett, Agnes Ayres

I recently saw the Son of the Sheik at an old movie house in Los Angeles. It was complete with the Wurlitzer theater pipe organ -- live accompaniment for this rare gem! I was in awe at how sophisticated and enchanting this movie was. I remarked to my husband that it reminded me of one of my trashy love novels. It was so perfect. I remember reading somewhere that Rudolph Valentino's fame came from the fact that he was so dark and handsome and muscular as opposed to the little pasty boys that had existed before him in the cinema. The scene where he exacts his revenge on Yasmin and ravishes her....was wonderful. His dark eyes as he looked at her in the close-ups.......ahhhhh. This movie truly was a treat. The desert scenes, the lush scenery and sumptuous costumes create a wonderful lavish movie. Valentino was taken from the cinema world far too early....but at least we have these lavish movies to remember him by.

"The Son of the Sheik" tragically, turned out to be Rudolph Valentino's final film due to his untimely death just before the film premiered. It is a sequel to the earlier "The Sheik" (1921).

Ahmed (Valentino) is the son of a wealthy and powerful sheik (also played by Valentino). He meets a young dancer Yasmin (Vilma Banky) who is the daughter of Frenchman Andre (George Fawcett) the leader of a band of entertainers (and bandits). One of the men is the brutal Ghalbah (Montegue Love) to whom Andre has promised the hand of his daughter.

Ahmed and Yasmin are meeting secretly when Ghalbah and his men capture Ahmed, torture him and hold him for ransom. Ghalbah tells Ahmed that Yasmin has betrayed him and that she is part of the plot. Ahmed's trusted servant Ramadan (Karl Dane) rescues him and takes him to a friend's home to recover. Ahmed vows revenge on Yasmin.

Later during a skirmish Ahmed abducts Yasmin and takes her to his camp. There, he begins his plans to exact revenge upon the puzzled young woman. There is left little doubt over his method of revenge. The two now apparently despise each other until Ramadan who has just escaped from Ghalbah and his gang, informs Ahmed that Yasmin is innocent of any deceit.

Meanwhile back at the castle, the Sheik and his wife Diana (Agnes Ayres) are worried as to why they haven't heard from his son in over a week. The Sheik goes to Ahmed to find out why and learns of his involvement with a lady.

Ahmed later goes to the café where Yasmin is dancing with the aim of winning her back. A fight breaks out and.........................

This film is arguably Valentino's best work and achieved greater popularity due to the star's death. Valentino's acting had improved noticeably from the earlier film. His portrayal of the elder Sheik is carried off convincingly. The shots of father and son together are masterfully done to the point that you think that there were two different actors in the shot.

The dancing of the beautiful Vilma Banky is spectacular and her scenes with Valentino are memorable. Montegue Love was one of the busiest villains of the twenties and doesn't disappoint here. Agnes Ayes, reprising her role from the earlier film, makes the transition to worried mother effortlessly. The swashbuckling scenes are exciting and are well choreographed.

One only has to look at this film to see the appeal that Valentino had over the ladies, That burning stare and fetching smile must have made many a girl swoon. It's a pity that he had to die so young. You can only wonder what further heights he would have achieved had he lived.

Rudolph Valentino...one of a kind.

This was a truly great movie. It had something for everyone, adventure, romance, comedy. I'll start with the comedy. There's this itty bitty guy who's bald and has a beard who steals every scene he's in. He's an adult, but he's really small and really plays it up for laughs. There's plenty of adventure as first one side and then the other battles for possession of Vilma Banky. She's the prettiest woman in the film, so I can understand that. There's adventure right up to just about the last. Rudolph Valentino rescues her from a bandit (the title card says he's a Renegade Frenchman, he and Vilma kiss and it shows the riding off through the desert, in what turned out to be Rudloph Valentino's last film. I hate to say it, but I will. When it comes to looks, Vilma far outshines Agnes Ayers, who played the object of Rudoph Valentino's attention in The Sheik (1921). There's romance, between Rudoph and Vilma. Now, the bandit that Rudolph rescues her from had been promised to her by her father (thanks, Dad!), but her heart loves Rudolph. I've got to give Vilma, a little extra credit. It's not every Hungarian who could pull playing a believable dancer, but she does. What's kind of poignant is that Rudolph Valentino also plays his father and you see him as an older character. Unfortunately, he didn't live near long enough to get old. But like I said in the beginning, there's something for everyone in this film. If you like silent movies, try to give this one a look.

It amazes me, that Valentino-as-the-sheik was able to start such a fashion in the 1920s. Watching this sequel of THE SHEIK I keep seeing everything that had already been recycled in the Broadway operetta DESERT SONG - also filmed as an early talkie, shortly after SONG OF THE SHEIK. Valentino far outclasses everyone I've ever seen play "The Red Shadow" - and visually the SON OF THE SHEIK is much better than any DESERT SONG film version (even the later, color one). Considering the intense interest in 'Arab Matters' today, it's sad that no one revives DESERT SONG done Valentino-style. Because even after all those years - his 'hypnotic gaze' in the film remains hypnotic.

Just to answer ClaudeCat's question, "It really made me wonder about the time period: did women of the 20's enjoy seeing rape fantasies onscreen, because of different attitudes about women and sex? Or was this something filmmakers of

the period imagined women wanted to see, and the fans put up with it in order to enjoy the sight of Rudolph's face?" the film was quite remarkably based on a

book written by a WOMAN and the script also was written by a WOMAN. This is

something I found very shocking when I first studied this film in film class. The rape in this film in many ways functions the same way the rape scene did in

"Gone With the Wind." In fact, in both cases, many people don't even call them rape scenes, even though in both a woman is taken against her will. Many

theories about this revolve around the fact that Valentino was this exotic, sexy, foreigner that women secretly wanted to kidnap them from their dull,

homebound lives and their conservative husbands. This is in a way what

psychologists call a "rape fantasy." Whereas a real rape, the woman has no

control, in a fantasy, even though she imagines being taken by force, she is

really the one making the rules, because she is imagining it, much as the female writer of "The Son of the Sheik" may have her character be ravished, but is really the one in control of what Valentino does. One important thing to note is a rape fantasy doesn't mean the woman actually wants to be raped in real life.

Son of the Sheik, The (1926)

*** (out of 4)

This sequel to THE SHEIK was released to theaters just eleven days after the death of star Rudolph Valentino so it goes without saying that this earn a lot of money by female fans wanting to see the star one final time. In the film he plays the son to the Sheik of the first film. The son gets into a bit of trouble when he falls in love with a poor dancer (Vilma Banky) only to have her father kidnap and torture him. The father tells the Sheik's son that the daughter was in on the kidnapping but it turns out this wasn't true so the son must make mends with his own father (also played by Valentino) and go get the woman he loves. For a 68-minute film there's quite a bit of plot going on but in the end it's certainly a better film than the original thanks in large part to a lighter tone that allows some humor as well as a lot more action. It's said that Valentino was embarrassed by his image in the first film so perhaps that's why this sequel is so different in terms of tone. In the original film you could accuse the Sheik of being a truly horrid monster but those traits weren't passed down to the son who we see as an all around good guy. The camera certainly soaks up the sexuality with various shots just fixated on the star and I'm sure his female fans appreciated this. The film also benefits from some nice humor from a couple idiots working for the dancer's father. The action scenes this time out are a lot more impressive as we get more fist fights, more sword battles and of course we have Valentino riding to the rescue of his woman and having to save her from the evil father. Valentino turns in a much better performance here than in the previous movie. He's very charming as the son and manages to be funny in his own right but the more impressive performance comes from the older father. There's quite a bit of make up on Valentino when playing the Sheik from the first film but I thought he did a very good job with the anger the character has as well as a small bit of humor when his wife (Agnes Ayres; returning from the first film) reminds him that he was the same way when he was younger. George Fawcett is good as the bad guy and Banky is also very good in her role. Banky and Valentino have a lot of chemistry together and this is extremely apparent early on when the two sneak away to meet under the moonlight. Who knows where Valentino's career would have gone had he not died and we can't even say he would have survived into the sound era. This final film of his has the actor in good form, which is more than a lot of legends can say for their swan songs.

Sunday February 15, 1:30 & 7:00pm, The Lynwood, Bainbridge Island

"Lie still, you little fool!"

An Arabian prince (Rudolph Valentino) becomes infatuated with a beautiful dancing girl (Vilma Banky), traveling each night to see her, until he is beaten and robbed by the gang of thieves she lives with. Believing she is complicit in the crime, he takes her by force to his desert camp and has his revenge. When his father (also played by Valentino) takes him home to fulfill a marriage agreement, the girl is set free. Once back among the miscreants, she learns the truth.

A frenzy of interest surrounded The Son of The Sheik (1926), released two weeks after the unexpected death of its star. Banky’s dancing scenes and kidnapping are exhilarating highlights. Intensely romantic in a primitive sense, Valentino’s persona cultivated a desire for sexual fulfillment in his audience, while encouraging a positive attitude toward forceful, sexual dominance. Cinema as escapist fantasy has no better example from the silent era.

The son of the sheik (Rudolph Valentino) and a dancing girl fall in love, but when he is made to believe she has betrayed him he seeks revenge.

At the time of the film's release, Rudolph Valentino was attempting to make a comeback in films. He rose to international stardom after the release of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and The Sheik in 1921, both of which were box office hits and solidified his image as "the Great Lover". By 1924, however, Valentino's popularity had begun to wane after he appeared in two box office failures, Monsieur Beaucaire and A Sainted Devil, both of which featured him in roles that were a departure from his "Great Lover" image.

And this was the end of Valentino, who died all too early. Interestingly, despite his brief run, he is still more or less remembered today. Maybe people haven't seen his films, but they know his name. No other silent star, except Lon Chaney, can really claim that distinction. (Buster Keaton probably should have retired after the silent era.)

While THE EAGLE and THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE might be superior on an artistic level, if you want to get a glimpse of Valentino's appeal for 1920s moviegoers, there is no better vehicle than THE SON OF THE SHEIK. He never looked more handsome and virile, he never had a better leading lady than Vilma Banky, and he never had a director so attuned to his sense of exotic adventure than George Fitzmaurice.

The film is a sequel to the so-bad-it's-good THE SHEIK, the film most linked to Valentino then and now. While THE SHEIK had some good photography and a fun sense of camp, it isn't terribly titillating or exciting-- certainly not the way the sequel continues to be.

Self-aware of its pulpy nature. the sequel strikes one as rather modern in its approach to the hokum (with the exception of the Orientalist stereotypes, naturally), prefiguring Indiana Jones at times. There's a great deal of swashbuckling and moonlight kisses, as well as some slapstick comic relief that shockingly does not feel out of place. The whole thing feels like a combination of pulp adventure, romance novel, and fairy tale.

Fans loved Valentino best when there was an element of sexual menace in his characterizations. You definitely get that here during the infamous ravishment scene, a strikingly photographed and edited sequence that captures the dark, dangerous eroticism that was catnip to the Valentino fanbase. And judging by my perusal of silent film fan forums (not to mention my own reaction to the scene when I first saw the movie as a teenager), the scene still works that same spell on a good number of movie mavens. Not PC to be sure, but it does represent a sadomasochistic fantasy rather than the reality of sexual violence, so one might want to attend to the sequence with that in mind.

At any rate, this movie is a lot of fun and as another reviewer on here mentioned, there's something for everyone. It moves at a good clip, looks great, features fine performances (Valentino's double performance as the older sheik is wonderful character work and it convinces me he could have had a future as a character actor in talkies had he lived and outgrown the lover image), and has an exciting finale. If Valentino had to die young, then he couldn't have gotten a better cinematic swan song than this.

Rudolph Valentino (Ahmed, the son/Ahmed Ben Hassan), Vilma Banky (Yasmin Romez), Agnes Ayres (Diana Ben Hassan), George Fawcett (Andre Romez), Montagu Love (Ghabah, whose crimes outnumber the desert sands), Karl Dane (Ramadan, young Ahmed's henchman), Bull Montana (Ali), Bynunsky Hyman (Pincher, a malevolent dwarf), Charles Requa (Pierre, a city friend of young Ahmed), William Donovan (S'rir), Erwin Connelly (the zouve), George Fiske (stunt double). (Miss Ayres appears as a favor to the picture & Mr. Valentino through the courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn).

Director: GEORGE FITZMAURICE. Screenplay: Frances Marion, Fred de Gresac. Titles: George Marion, Jr. Based on the 1925 novel by Edith M. Hull. Photography: George Barnes. Art director: William Cameron Menzies. Property master: Irving W. Sindler. Stills: Nealson Smith. Producers: George Fitzmaurice, John W. Considine, Jr.

Copyright 24 August 1926 by Feature Productions. Released through United Artists: 5 September 1926. New York opening at the Mark Strand: 25 July 1926. 68 minutes.

COMMENT: Although not as richly tapestried as "The Sheik", this sequel has a stronger story and is equally well-produced. Rudolph Valentino's acting is also far more impressive. In fact he handles the character portion of his dual role most persuasively. What a shame it turned out to be his final performance!

Nor is the support cast lacking in appeal. Miss Ayres seems more at home with her role here than she was in the original, while Vilma Banky makes a most attractive heroine. Montagu Love tries hard to steal the acting honors from the principals—and almost succeeds despite enjoyable efforts by Bynunsky Hyman to upstage him. Karl Dane also makes a big pitch to collar the limelight, but fails dismally despite many indulgent close-ups.

In other respects, director George Fitzmaurice takes full advantage of sets and locations to move the story forward with both style and panache.

Unfortunately, the original shimmering photography by George Barnes is not so well served in the Image DVD, printed up from the 1937 black-and-white re-issue instead of the original sepia.

I agree with most of the other reviewers' comments about how beautiful this film is (especially the Kino dvd I saw, which has the original tints), and what good performances Rudolph and Vilma gave, but I was surprised that no one else was disturbed by the "ravishment" scene. It really made me wonder about the time period: did women of the 20's enjoy seeing rape fantasies onscreen, because of different attitudes about women and sex? Or was this something filmmakers of the period imagined women wanted to see, and the fans put up with it in order to enjoy the sight of Rudolph's face? (The filmmakers also seemed to want to have it both ways: Rudolph and Vilma remain elaborately clothed throughout every scene, so if you want to, you can imagine nothing very bad happened when the camera cut away!)

Anyway, other than that I thought the film was rollicking--a textbook example of the wonderful extremes silent movies could go to.

Valentino's final film is unremarkable for its characters or plot - the latter is but a melodramatic trifle. It is, however, of some historical interest with regard to visual narrative.

Of course, back then there were no 'vocal technician' actors. Every actor had to tell a story with his or her body, face, and especially with the eyes. On that count, there's plenty of trademark Rudy glares, modulated with knowing smirks and slight raises of his right brow. He was keenly aware of his power over women, and wasn't afraid to use it - it shows here.

Likewise, Banky has to keep the male audience interested, so she has to project this without words - and so her dances are engineered to send men into smoldering paroxysms -- somewhat risible, today. Compare this to Samantha Morton's performance in "Sweet and Lowdown" to see how far we've come, not only in movie craft, but in the degree of competence we expect from the actors.

The key technical feature is the split screen compositions with Rudy playing 'the Sheik' and 'the Son' in the same frame -- not original, but quite effective and nearly seamless. Simultaneously, it ties in the first "Sheik" AND this story; Rudy has to reinvent the first character - very clever.

The big weak spot, though, is in the intertitles. These were not well handled - they aren't edited to any effect, they're simply cut right in between the actors' mouth movements. This could have been essential viewing if someone had the vision to manipulate us more effectively through the editing.

this movie is, on the surface, your typical over blown silent film. when it comes to the action its laughable (the sword fights were hilarious to me)but i was somewhat drawn in by Rudolph Valentino's looks and general appeal. it was on last night and i was a bout to go to bed, but my parents were still surfing channels when it comes onto this film. i recognised Valentino the second i saw him and instantly knew the movie. even though i'd never seen suddenly i could go to bed! i just kept staring, this silent movie that played like a comedy to me was drawing me in. suddenly the romance was apparent and i had fallen for Valentino's heroic character. it's not dramatic though. sword fights are hilarious!

This isn't a bad film, but also seems pretty familiar considering it has the same leads in this film as the original SHEIK. And, as well as this similarity, the film at times just seems like a continuation of the original--even though the story centers on the son (who, oddly enough, looks EXACTLY like the guy in the first film!).

The basic plot involves "love at first sight"--a screen cliché if I've ever seen one! A nice dancer who is virtually the slave of a band of outlaws falls for the nice young son of a sheik. However, despite their ardor, he is told by one of the scummy gang that the dancer doesn't love him, but it was all part of a trap to lure the rich man to the gang. And, given that Valentino's character didn't read the script, it takes him most of the movie to determine the girl is in fact sweet and worth marrying.