The classic silent film which made Rudolph Valentino into a faint-inducing international sex symbol, THE SHEIK concerns the romantic adventures of Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan who, bewitched by the beauty of British aristocrat Lady Diana, keeps her locked away in a love nest hoping to make her his concubine. In the sequel, SON OF THE SHEIK, Valentino (playing Young Ahmed) falls madly in love with the dancing girl Yasmin. This special edition culminates with original newsreel footage of Valentino's massively attended funeral. The star, at age 31, died just 8 days after collapsing at the premiere of the latter film.

DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby Digital Mono - English
Additional Release Material:
Additional Footage - Original Pathe newsreel of Valentino's funeral

Distributor Notes: The great silent screen lover Rudolph Valentino is captured in his most famous role in this special double feature. Women fainted in the aisles when "The Sheik" (1921, 86 min.) was released, as Lady Diana Mayo (Agnes Ayres) is carried into the desert by an Arab chieftain (Valentino) who takes one look at her and wants her, right then and there. Nobody had seen anything like Valentino's natural sex appeal on the screen before, and the sequel "The Son of the Sheik" (1926, 69 min.) was designed to revive Valentino's flagging career. In the sequel, Young Ahmed (Valentino) falls in love with Yasmin, a dancing girl (Vilma Banky), but he is captured and tortured by bandits. Believing Yasmin to be responsible, he escapes and plans his own form of revenge, although true love, of course, finally prevails. In New York for the premiere of "The Son of the Sheik," Valentino collapsed and died eight days later at the age of 31. The public hysteria surrounding his funeral is documented in the original Pathe newsreel which rounds out this extraordinary DVD.

Source: Image Entertainment, Inc.

Rudolph Valentino: Italian Silent Film Actor