Son of the Sheik
USA, 1926
Director: George Fitzmaurice
Screenplay: Frances Marion, Fred de Gresac, George Marion Jr.
Paul Gerard Smith
Cast: Rudolph Valentino, Vilma Bánky, Montagu Love, Karl Dane, George Fawcett
Plot
Frenchman André leads a band of Bedouin robbers and criminals in a North African desert. His attractive daughter Yasmin is an oriental dancer. During one of her shows, the young girl attracts the handsome son of a local kaid (or sheikh). The two fall in love.
The fearsome Ghabah, one of Andre’s fiercest henchmen, is infatuated with the girl. He suggests kidnapping the beau and demanding a ransom from her wealthy father. Said and done. One day, when the son of the Caid and Yasmin meet in some ruins near an oasis, André’s gang reduces the young man, taking him to a dungeon where he is bound in shackles.
There, Ghabah tells the captive that Yasmin only acted as bait, so that they could hunt him… Is it true?
In any case, soon after, the young Ahmed, for such is the name of the son of the fallen man, manages to escape thanks to the intervention of his father’s men. Then, it will be Ahmed who decides to kidnap Yasmin, as he says, for revenge…
Comments
Entertaining film of adventure, romance and misunderstandings set in the exoticism of the desert, and starring the legendary Rudolph Valentino, one of the first “Latin lovers” in the history of cinema. This famous actor would not get to see the film in its entirety, as he died before the film’s release due to peritonitis at the early age of 31. Rudolph Valentino was born in Italy in 1895, and emigrated to the USA at a very young age. Before achieving stardom in the nascent seventh art, he worked in New York as a waiter and in other humble jobs.
The film we are reviewing today is based on a novel. The story is set in the oasis of the Sahara, but the film version was shot in the Arizona desert.
In the film, in addition to the adventures and the turbulent love-hate relationship between Ahmed and Yasmin (played by Vilma Bánky), there are moments of comedy, especially in the slapstick scenes involving the dwarf.
Later, Ahmed’s father, the Caid, appears, who tries to get his son to marry another woman he has chosen, for a marriage of convenience. Father and son are both played by Rudolph Valentino himself (something you don’t notice at first).
Otherwise, it is an enjoyable film, but without too much incentive or particular surprises.
Get The Son of the Sheik HERE!
(This is an affiliate link. I may earn a commission if you purchase through these link, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)