If you have the slightest interest in the phenomenon called Rudolph Valentino, this terrific disc is absolutely the place to start. The screen's great male sex god of the 1920s had a mammoth success with <I>The Sheik</I>, a slice of desert romance both exciting and completely absurd. Valentino plays a dashing "sheik of Araby" who rather forcefully romances an adventure-minded English lady (Agnes Ayres); if the story creaks with Victorian storytelling conventions, it also works. Five years later Valentino returned to the sands with his final film, <I>The Son of the Sheik</I>, playing both his original role and the sheik's impetuous boy. More madness here, and a wild saber duel on horseback at night reminds us they don't make movies like this any more. Valentino's faux-exotic allure may seem curious to modern viewers, but squint hard and you can imagine the frenzy caused by the sultry eyes and rapacious grin. <I>--Robert Horton</I>
Viewer Reviews 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.
