Customer Reviews

Sheik [VHS]

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Why do people still love Rudolph Valentino after all these years? This DVD provides an ideal way to get acquainted with the great leading man in his most famous roles.
After the phenomenal succes of The Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse, studio execs were unsure what to do with the darkly handsome Valentino. At last, he landed the lead role in Paramount's The Sheik. Based on the "scandalous" best-seller, it was romantic melodrama in it's purest form.
It's the story of a young English woman, Diana (Angnes Ayres) who crosses paths with the desert chieftan Sheik Ahmed ben Hassan. Fascinated by her spunk, he abducts her to become his wife. Diana is not too thrilled with the concept and resists. Thus begins the battle of wills.
From a coldly logical standpoint, the Sheik is not a very good movie. Valentino's acting is not as good as in his later work. The script is somewhat disjointed. In fact, it was a predicted bomb when it was first released. However, the movie posesses a kitchy, innocent charm that is probably as fascinating now as it was then. It is one of those movies you find yourself enjoying even though you don't know why.
The version on this DVD is a tinted print in pretty good shape. Some of the titles vary slightly from the VHS release (for example, Diana is referred to as the daughter of a poet in the VHS and the daughter of a peer on DVD) Some scenes are added or cut. People who own the VHS release may chose to make their own comparisons.
The soundtrack is electronic/orchestral. It is a selection of music that was available to organists at the time and probably some of the music was used when the Sheik was first released. The music generally does not sound too electronic though it may bug purists (though the VHS edition has an obvious synth score). I enjoyed it.

The second film on the DVD is the sequel, Son of the Sheik. Valentino plays both father and son. Unlike The Sheik, which followed the book it was based on, Son of the Sheik changed the plot considerably (and I feel for the better). Valentino is Ahemed jr. who meets and falls in love with Yasmin (Vilma Banky) They plan a secret rendezvous but Yasmin's corrupt family follows her and captures Ahmed for ransom. Because he will not give his name he is tortured. His friends rescue him but he is very depressed. He believes poor Yasmin betrayed him. So, when opportunity arises, he steals away with her for his own brand of revenge.
Son of the Sheik is a well directed, well acted movie. While on a smaller scale that the Sheik, it had a much larger budget. There is much comedy added. Valentino and Banky absolutely set the screen on fire as a pair of lovers who now hate each other. However, for all it's charms, it does not posess the oddball charisma that made the Sheik such a fun movie.
The print used is black and white, the music can either be the new electronic/orchestral score or the original re-release orchestral score. The latter has a lot of static and I found it annoying so I used the newer score instead.

Whichever one of these movies is your favorite, I am sure you will enjoy the presentation.

Also included on the DVD:
Three Valentino short films including footage from his funeral. Rather depressing.

A great DVD to round out your collection, to introduce yourself to Valentino or for comparative purposes. Quite worth it!

My only real glimpses of Rudolph Valentino were through movie stills and clips and couldn't see what the fuss was about. After taking an interest in silent films, I decided to buy this dvd and see what he was all about. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed. The Shiek and The Son of the Shiek are two amazing and surprisingly intriguing films though the latter is superior and was definitely my favorite. The first is the story of a shiek who becomes entranced by a strong-willed woman he kidnaps and from there on the story unfolds. In the second, he plays dual roles, father and son, and there is quite a bit more action. Still, both movies are great and worth watching.

As for Valentino, he was an amazing presence on film. To me, he is "the" sex symbol that is incomparable to any from his era to now. In the first movie, his mannerisms and facial expressions are more dramatized, but the second film, he is more natural and its in that one he was even more beautiful. I can see why people are still entranced with him after all this time. Count me in as one of those.

As for the DVD, both of the films are good prints and the music fits the film. You also get to see the Pathe newsreel showing his funeral which is very sad. Most interestingly you get to see him judge a beauty contest and there is a clip called "The Shiek's Physique" which is a clip of him sunbathing on the beach. He is gorgeous in that as well.

All in all, its a great deal and a good bargain to get to see one of the most amazing actors. Great!

When you search for a movie that sums up the exotic fairytale world that Hollywood seemed to be in the silent era, few other films come as close as this 1921 original, which was also the father of all "sand dune sagas" that were to flood the screen in the 1920`s. Though the film is somewhat dated and the plot very much of an aquired taste (especially the love scenes), the movie builds up a strange power as it continues and Valentino still contains a kind of mysterious aura that probably made him the legend he still is seen as today. Watching the film in comparison to its` sequel "Son Of The Sheik" it is less stylishly made but this was due to the early 20`s when films were less glossy than in 1925 or 1926. So when you want to know what built Hollywood as the dream factory it is still seen, "The Sheik" is one of the clues. Also the synthesizer score ads to the "dream" atmosphere of the movie.

What a treasure! This film is as good as a romantic saga can get - complete with the evil bandit, the beautiful heroine and the rakish, handsome hero who wins her love over the course of the story. I purchased "The Son of the Sheik" first and was mesmerized by Valentino, but I personally love "The Sheik" even more! With the range of emotions he was able to project with his eyes and body language, sound and words just don't seem to be missed - especially when he is watching Diana and Raoul jealously behind the curtains - his smoldering eyes speak volumes. Then the child-like joy and pleasure in his eyes when she calls out his name, thinking he has been injured, is simply precious! His look of pain when he finds her crying and unhappy is so natural and powerful! Some of his Bela Lugosi-type facial expressions are comical, but, oddly enough, are attractive (I wonder now, after seeing his widened eyes and raised brow, if Gene Kelly wasn't influenced by Valentino in "The Pirate"). For Valentino, these ranges of emotions seem to be so natural that I feel his real personality comes through for the most part rather than acting.

I relish the close-up of his singing "Beautiful Dreamer" to Diana under her balcony - his smile, combined with the musical score to the song (actually, the entire musical score was haunting and beautiful), are one of the most romantic moments in the film. Lucky Diana!

I could go on forever, there are so many things to love about this classic! I've fallen head over heels for Valentino - his magnificent eyes, smile, the way he walks, his comedy style, his sexual charisma and sensuality - and even his hands are beautiful! Like a passage I read recently stated: they are still searching for the next Valentino, but have yet, to this day, to find one. For lovers of good old fashioned classic romance, this film has all the elements and I recommend it!

The print of "The Shiek" in this DVD edition is as good as it gets, although the tinting was a bit overdone, to the point of becoming distracting - I turned down the color intensity of my set and found it much more enjoyable. For "Son...," the 1936 reissue print has been used, which means this film - by far the more entertaining of the two - has been transferred at the wrong speed, quite a disservice. The original scores for both are very good; the thing to do here would have been to slow down the reissue to the proper speed and then match the score to the action. Oh, and Rudy? He's a God. I'll spend the extra bucks to get Kino's restored DVD of "Son..." and enjoy it all over again.

Rudolph Valentino made only five films, but he was idolized by millions of women the world over. Here in a fun double-bill, are The Shiek, which made him a household word, and his last film The Son of the Sheik. Each revolves around a romance between a beautiful young girl and Valentino's sultry man of the desert. There are lovely shots of horses running across the sands, delicious eyebrow raises from the sheik, and such memorable reader cards as: "The night was young at the Cafe Maure. Not a knife had been thrown---so far."

The prints are very nice, though The Sheik is heavily tinted and runs 86 minutes instead of the 80 minutes it should. The music tracks are alright, using a small orchestra, with an alternative updated track available for the second film; I was disappointed because I had seen The Sheik on television several years ago and the accompanying synthesizer track was remarkably beautiful -- but that is not on this disc.

Three shorts are included: "Rudolph Valentino and His 88 American Beauties", in which the star judges a beauty contest (1923, 13 minutes); "The Sheik's Physique", in which the star takes a nap in his swimsuit (not dated, 3 minutes); and the Pathe News coverage of Valentino's funeral (1926, 4 minutes).

If you are interested in silent films or in Valentino, this is a terrific package.

Another review by PD's daughter.

I was given this movie from one of moms friends (which I am sooo very happy that I got it!!) but even before that I was mightily curious as to what created such an insane craze and obsession in the 1920's. Now I know. His name was Rudolph Valentino.

I had read "The Sheik" (well the condensed version by Barbara Cartland, but it followed the original story never the less) a few months ago and was really captured by this ruthless Spanish-Brit mix desert sheik. The Sheik Ahmed was cruel, and seemingly heartless (brutal really, but I guess it would be called animal brutality, if you know what I mean..), stating "an Arab takes what he wants" What the Sheik really wanted was Diana, the spoiled yet beautiful aristocratic brit whose room he had snuck into and switched her bullets for blanks and later kidnapped on the desert dunes. Well the Sheik got Diana and wanted to "break her" to his will. And he did so quite violently (as could be seen in Valentino's face, which, ohmygod, he had done so effectively, but I'll talk about Rudy later..)
The one part I really enjoyed was when The Sheik releazed how cruel he was really acting and Rudy's face changed from twisted lust to a look of compassion (it was such a magical part and my mother said "rewind that part!" and so we watched it again)

The Sheik pivoted Valentino's career into the "he'll never be forgotten for ever" mode and really made the 1920's. All the ladies became shebas and the guys sheiks...and everyone from the farm girls to flappers were in love with Rudy.

Now there are 2 movies on this DVD and the second is my FAVORITE!! The Son of the Sheik, where Valentino was the son Ahmed and the father from the original picture, was a far better backdrop for Valentino's acting skills. The special effects were amazing (for that time peroid I mean, today I'd laugh and point and say ha! you must be joking!) in the sense of how the two Valentino's were juxtaposed together (like the part where he has his arm on his other self... creepy cool), it must of cost a fortune to do. In this picture the younger Ahmed falls passionately (passionately I say because he was very .... well I felt it to be very romantic even for today's standards and back then I'm not sure how the older mama's would have acted to his fevered kisses) with a beautiful dancer of a circus troope. The young Ahmed is captured by the jealous "bad guy" of the troope and is whipped (I really didn't see that coming!) and tied to bars (it was horrible and I was very upset at this point) and then the guy lays a horrendous lie at his already bound feet and WELL I can't tell you that because it is the major conflict of the movie (but it's good and I was upset even more).

The DVD has special features. One includes the "Valentino Beauty Pageant" which was creepy but very fasinating for historical reasons. One was a silly skit Valentino did (which made no sense what so ever buuut I did get to see him run around in his bathing suit :Ogasp!) and the last is a short film of the publics reaction to his death (to think there was a report of mass suicides afterwards!)

The one thing I really liked about the DVD was the choice of the soundtrack you wanted to use. It gave you the option of a new sythisized version or the original music they would have used in the theaters (which I personally prefer better). It really adds to the "Sheik" experience.

Overall (finally!) I really LOVED this DVD collection and LOVE Valentino. Why you may ask?? He's in incredible actor!! His expressions are amazing and very naturally changable... he can smoothly transition expressions in a scene that it puts the topgal to shame and makes her almost invisable. But (of course) Rudolph Valentino was extremely attractive and wonderfully handsome (see Son of the Sheik where there is a part where his headgear is stripped off and his shirt is opened ohmy!)

Valentino was certianly bad for his time and my favorite photograph of all time is by him.... where (in the son of the sheik) he is wearing all black with his hood over his head and a cigarette in between his ringed fingers... glaring...
Valentino screams HOTTNESS!!!

I love to watch both The Sheik and The Son of the Sheik one after the other. It's amazing what five years (the time between the making of the original and the sequel) did for Rudolph Valentino's acting. In my opinion, he was one of the finest actors of the time. While he starts out a little over the top in The Sheik he quickly improves. Perhaps part of the melodrama was due to the director, who's to say? Either way both movies are thoroughly enjoyable and surprisingly action packed. They're well acted with only mild melodrama. And of course Rudolph Valentino's presence doesn't hurt anything.
When it comes to Valentino himself I prefer The Eagle to the Sheik movies but they still rank second on my list. He was actually quite good at humor and I'm glad that The Son of the Sheik capitalized on that. He obviously had fun playing his own father and it's great to watch. It's too bad he wasn't able to make more movies. I'm sure they would have been just as great.
If you're interested in silent movies (or movies in general) I highly recommend both Sheik movies. After all they're over 80 years old. They're a part of film history.

This is the film that made Rudolph Valentino one of the biggest stars of the silent era. It's a great film for Rudy fans and hopeless romantics alike. It's also a great place to start if you're just discovering the talented Rudolph Valentino or the magic of silent films. Rudy stars as a desert chieftain that abducts a British aristocrat (played by the pretty Agnes Ayres) to be his bride. At first she struggles to escape from his domain, but as time goes by she begins to see that he's really not the savage she took him for. Also starring are Adolphe Menjou, Lucien Littlefield and Walter Long. This movie is terrific from the first scene all the way to the last! A captivating music score helps to build the atmosphere. Highly recommended!

His name has become somewhat of a catchphrase today, and, with these films, it's not hard to see why. Not only are you offered both "Sheik" films (1920 and 1926), but you are treated to such "extras" as a newsreel covering Rudy as he judges a beauty contest in NYC, and a VERY exploitive short that simply has our star basking by the water's edge at the seashore--no plot--just Rudy in his (vintage) 20's bathing suit!
Women back then loved him...men hated him--but, yet envied him. I was personally disappointed with the print of "Son of the Sheik," however...I'd originally purchased the IMAGE version, which is stark, sharp, and crisp...this KINO version is dulled and seemingly washed-out. "The Sheik" is NOT the version that was shown a few years ago on AMC...as part of the Film Preservation project...the tinting is VERY strong, sometimes washing out the image. But, for those who want a double-feature + a nice array of "extras," you'll be 95% satisfied with this disc.