The Sheik (1921)

I love this movie so much

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Made three years after the end of WW1, the one thing which stood out for me in this film was the blatant unapologetic racism. When Lady Diana thought that the man who kidnapped and carried her off to his desert tent was an Arab, she was ashamed and humiliated to be seen with him, despite his constant references to his life and education in Paris, but when it was revealed he was the orphaned child of an English mother and Spanish father and had been adopted by the old sheik after his parents had been found dying in the desert, then it was acceptable to fall in love and marry him. In one scene his writer friend from Paris admonished him for the embarrassment and humiliation he had inflicted upon a white woman by flaunting her in front of a man of her own race. That aside, this was quite fun to watch and the settings of old Algiers and the luxurious desert tent were excellent. I particularly liked the stylish title cards. Perhaps it was the cameras they were working with in 1921, but I did feel they could have used more close ups rather than the long shots. When they made the sequel in 1925, the difference was noticeable, lots of close ups and different angles. One scene in the desert appeared to be missing. Diana was rescued from the bandits without us ever seeing how or why, but considering the volatility of the old nitrate films and that many we see today are remnants found in obscure collections and pieced together bit by bit, that can be forgiven.

The Sheik, by modern standards is a controversial film that portray Arabs in the most unsettling light, by having the main characters dealt with the trade of "white sex slavery". In other words, it refers to the real-life sexual enslavement of white women by non-Europeans, as part of the Arab, Barbary and Ottoman slave trade routes. Directed by George Melford, and based on rather horrifying romantic novel written in 1919 by Edith Maude "E.M." Hull. It was the first of a series of novels she wrote with desert settings that set off a major revival of the "desert romance" genre of romantic fiction. Adapted to the screen by screenwriter, Monte M. Katterjohn, the film tells the story of Diana Mayo (Agnes Ayres), an independent, strong-willed young English noblewoman, whom undertakes a solo exploratory trip through the Sahara. Only to be kidnapped by Ahmed Ben Hassan (Rudolph Valentino), an Arab Sheik lusting for her. For the most part, the Sheik sees her, as nothing more than a sex slave; but after time, spending with her, he realize that he has fallen in love with the westerner; well as long, as she is willing to adapt to Arab culture and stop looking down on them. However, the bandit Omair (Walter Long) thinks otherwise of their union, and plans to ruin it for him, by capturing Diana for himself. Can the Sheik get her back? Watch the movie to find out! Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, the film is a lot tamer than the novel. In the novel, Sheik Ahmed rapes Lady Diana multiply times, in order to make her, love him. Not only that, but he continues to physical and mentally torture her, until she snaps from PTSD, and falls in love with her captor. While, the 'Stockholm Syndrome' elements still existed within the film story; his abuse to her, is tone down, to a few scenes of him, demanding she dress like a woman. Even the rape is only suggested as a curtain closes on Sheik Ahmed and Lady Diana before there is any physical contact between the two. The film even cuts the suicide attempt by Diana from the novel. Another thing, the movie cut from the book is the sub-story of the Sheik's father, the Sheik's own fatherhood and his struggles to live with the consequences of his actions. This plot point is dropped in the movie, in which it is revealed that both of Ahmed's parents died after their guide abandoned them in the desert, and the fact, that his son hasn't been born yet. However, they did explore this issue in the sequel, 1926's 'The Son of the Sheik', which is often considered the superior film compare to the original. One thing, I didn't like about the film and the novel is when the Sheik's true heritage is reveal. It's definitely comes off as a white-washing cop-out, however, in 1919 it was unheard-of that a white man would rather be a 'savage' than a 'good' Englishman. Also, the talks about 'mixed' marriage, were somewhat ground-breaking. It somewhat reminds me of 1962's 'Lawrence in Arabia", for a bit, there. Anyways, 'The Sheik" was a surprised hit, at the time. It helped propel Rudolph Valentino to super-stardom. After all, Valentino was at the time, the greatest male attraction, often picture in exotic, adventurous romantic pictures. He was indeed a big hit for the ladies, because of his handsome, hot-blooded Italian-born nature. However, his screen premise wasn't like, by most men at the time, as his on screen persona and questioned his masculinity was often criticize as homoerotic. I guess, at the time, dancing and singing wasn't a thing, a man should do. Nevertheless, this man could dance, but he also somewhat sings. As prove on here, where he later, provide music like 'Kashmiri Song" & "The Sheik of Araby" for the film, when talkies became available. Since, the film has no sound when it first came out, performers had to show emotion through facial expressions and gestures. I do agree with some critics, that he wasn't the best actor to do that. Nonetheless, this film is probably the role he's best remembered for today, due to the fact that a brand of popular condoms was named after him, due to this role. In my opinion, I like him, better in 1921's 'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse'. It's sad, that he died so early in his young life, from a perforated ulcer. He had so much more to give. The same with his co-star, Agnes Ayres who died from Cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 42. She really did shine in this role, despite her character, being portray more as a victim, rather than a heroine. Anyways, besides the alright acting. The movie is still worth watching for a film historian standard for its visuals. I love the use of yellow, brown and orange film tilt. It really does set the mood of the harsh environment of the desert. The action scenes are also worth-checking out. Surprising, the shoot-outs are still entertaining, despite being over 90 years old. Since, the movie is so old, it resulted, with the film, falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a DVD copy of this. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely or badly edited. Since many of them, come from extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation copies. Don't count on the audio and film footage to be good. Not only that, but it had a lot of scratches, and discoloring in the film footage. So watch out for that. Overall: While, the Sheik hasn't aged well since it first came out, due to its rampant sexism and racism undertones. It's still not as savage and backwater, as some modern viewers make it out to be. So check it out, if you want to.

Surprisingly, the best acting in this exotic melodrama comes from Agnes Ayres and Adolphe Menjou as the sheik's victim/lover and old friend, respectively. Valentino, although he had proved his abilities in Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and other films, indulges in too much eye popping and grimacing to convey lust for Ayres. Fortunately, these displays are toned down as the film unspools. As a story it's unoriginal, somewhat tedious and entirely predictable: devil-may-care British girl adventuring in the Sahara catches the eye of a local chieftain who kidnaps her, kisses her a couple of times, holds her prisoner until she yields to his desire – all in the most chaste fashion. The overheated and verbose novel on which the film is based is far racier than what is on screen. Yet still this film caused quite a stir back in the early twenties. It is sumptuously mounted with a large cast, well shot scenes of horsemanship and astoundingly realistic looking "desert" locations which were actually filmed on the beaches of Long Island! The photography and intertitle design are beautiful. But whether Valentino overacts or hits the mark, he is always worth watching.

Is this film realistic? No. Does it support outdated stereotypes of Middle Eastern desert people? Yes. Is the storyline a little disturbing? Yes...it's about a woman falling in love with a man who abducts her and overpowers her. The film industry in the United States today would have a very difficult time getting this movie made, but the 1920s were a different time. This is a great movie to watch to see how much films have changed in less than a century. And this film is a must-see for anyone curious about Valentino and his legendary appeal. The acting is melodramatic, and Valentino is often laughable - not what we would consider irresistibly sexy today (to see better acting from Valentino, try the sequel, The Son of the Sheik). But even so, Valentino has charisma, and upstages all of his co-stars, playing a part that is both villain and romantic hero. I highly recommend it. Even if you aren't enthralled by Valentino or by what this film can tell you about the 1920s, there is a lot of unintentionally funny scenes to keep you amused!