The Son of the Sheik (1926)

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.)

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!

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

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 ofthe 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 abook written by a WOMAN and the script also was written by a WOMAN. This issomething 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. Manytheories 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 whatpsychologists call a "rape fantasy." Whereas a real rape, the woman has nocontrol, in a fantasy, even though she imagines being taken by force, she isreally 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.