The Sheik

The Sheik (1921) A

Directed by: George Melford

Cast includes: Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres

Black-and-White, Silent, Romance, Adventure

It’s easy to see why women fainted at the sight of Valentino in this film, his first. Even under the robes his masculinity bulges through. The story follows an independent young woman (Ayres) who is captured by a desert Prince (Valentino) during her holiday. At first she is frightened and repulsed by his obvious intentions, but through the help of a westernized friend of the prince, she finds that the prince isn’t really an Arabian prince, but a white orphan who was adopted when his parents died by the former prince. He was educated in Europe. She begins to fall in love with him and when she is captured by a rival leader, Valentino saves her in a climactic and highly romantic ending.

It is unfortunate that the love story between the two main characters can only be sanctioned after we discover that the prince is not an Arabic man but a white man raised by an Arabic prince. If you can look past the dated opinions of interracial relationships, you will find a gem of a film. The DVD has some great music which attempts to recreate the possible music played during the original release of the film. A true classic and a must see.