Product Details

• Actors: Rudolph Valentino
• Directors: George Melford
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Region: All Regions
• Studio: Reel Enterprises
• DVD Release Date: March 2, 2007
• Run Time: 80 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000NVL7KI
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #216,313 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars DISAPPOINTED, September 25, 2009

By 

Alberta Savarese "Valentino Lover" (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Sheik (DVD)

I LOVE Rudolph Valentino and adore all of his movies, but this version of "The Sheik" left me lukewarm.

Some years ago, when AMC still featured film classics and no commercials, they aired a black and white version of "The Sheik" that I was fortunate to have taped. The film quality was sharp, crisp, and offered enough contrast so that details were easily apparent without my having to strain my eyes or compel me to sit a foot away from the TV set to notice them. Enhancing this version, the musical score emphasized the exotic setting and romantic allure of the story.

As an added bonus, this version contained a scene that isn't featured in any recent releases: The morning following her abduction, Diana awakens to find rose petals strewn on her bed. She is moved by the beauty of the petals until she notices Ahmed's cigarette holder on a nearby table. She remembers a sensation of being touched while she slept and fears that Ahmed may have ravaged her during the night. The servant girl, Zelia, assures Diana nothing improper has taken place. She then proceeds to show Diana the basket from which she, Zelia, has taken the flower petals to spread on Diana's bed. Zelia also explains (and we are shown through flashback) that Zelia, while sleeping on the ground next to Diana, had held Diana's hand through the night to comfort her.

I watched this magnificent version many, many times, until about a week ago, when quite unfortunately, and rather tragically for me, the video tape snapped in two while being rewound. I was heartbroken!!

Although I already own the special edition DVD ("The Sheik" and "Son of The Sheik") put out by Image Entertainment featuring the color tinted version of "The Sheik", I still longed for a black and white version. Imagine my delight when I saw an opportunity to own a black and white version of "The Sheik", hopefully comparable to my lost copy. I was thrilled!

The feeling, however, didn't last very long. This DVD (reproduced and distributed by Reel Enterprises in 2006) offers no special features, no menu and no scene selection feature. From the moment you put the disc into your DVD player, the movie starts to play. This in itself wouldn't be so bad.

Fifteen minutes into watching this version, however, is when major disappointment set in. Although this version offers the original title cards, the film quality isn't sharp or crisp, and at times is even a bit dulled. Although watchable, it's evident that cost measures, not film qualtiy, took top priority for the folks at Reel Enterprises. This version is nothing but a direct transfer of an average quality video to DVD. Too bad that all the technological advances made in film restoration and DVD production were ignored by Reel Enterprises. With a little extra expense, they could have produced a quality product.

BTW, that extra scene was missing in this version, another disappointment for me.

By far my biggest complaint with this version is the music. A musical score should enhance the mood of the entire film or contribute to the intensity of a particular scene. This DVD's musical score evokes none of the smoldering passion, romance or emotions of the characters, nor does it contribute to the film's exotic atmosphere. It's little more than non-descript generic background music, basically elevator music, undermining every scene in this film. The music throughout this version consists of a solo piano movement or violin piece playing gently and rather drowsily in the background during passionate love scenes as well as battle sequences. Even the "Kashmiri Song" which Valentino's character sings (via title cards) is overlooked. There isn't a single musical allusion to this love song; not even a few musical notes from this piece are reproduced anywhere in the film. Later, when the action shifts to the desert where an impassioned Ahmed abducts Diana, a soothing violin/piano movement is heard. Contrast this same scene with the color tinted version from Image Entertainment which highlights the action by using "Bacchanale" from "Samson et Dalila" by Saint-Saens.

As with the film quality, so it must have been with the musical quality: cost measures were clearly top priority for Reel Enterprises. How else do you explain the choice of a generic musical score that acts as a lullaby for an audience, rather than arouses viewers to watch a virile, passionate, smouldering, intense Valentino fight for the woman he loves.

Bottom line: Don't waste your money or time on this inferior transfer. Instead, invest your money in a quality DVD of "The Sheik".

5.0 out of 5 stars RV Fans rejoice, November 24, 2011

By 

Kathryn A. Mays (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sheik (DVD)

You kind of have to be a silent-movie geek or a hopeless romantic to love this movie. Luckily I'm both.

This movie is based off of a book of the same title by E.M. Hull. A defiant young British woman is trying to avoid marriage (or at least postpone it) because she sees it as the end of independence for women. To do so, she decides to take a small "vacation" into the Arabian desert. The night before she is to take off, she sneaks into an Arabs-only party, dressed as an arab woman, but is disovered by the ever-handsome and ever-flamboyant Rudolph Valentino, who plays the Sheik Ahmed ben Hussan. He arranges to kidnap her on her trip and make her fall in love with him. Adventure and romance ensues and fun is had by all...or most.

I particularly like this movie for several reasons:
1. RV is in it.
2. the flamboancy of the movie is just too much fun. very few things are understated.
3. the protrayal of the characters is well done and comes across strongly in this silent movie. Ever emotion is well portrayed, many times as subtly as could be done during the silent movie era.

Keep in mind; this movie was made at a time when racism was not only rampant but almost strongly encouranged and when inter-racial marriage was not allowed and highly frowned upon. As such, adjustments were made to the movie's story and this movie has quite a few derogatory portrayals of Arabs in it. This is kind of to be expected in a movie from this era, but it's still kind of a shock from todays standards.

This is one of the classics from that era. In my opinion, it's a must-have for any silent movie fan's collection.