The Son of the Sheik
About The Son of the Sheik
Ahmed, son of Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan and Diana, meets the dancer Yasmin in secret. Her father uses the act as cover for a gang. They seize the son, torture him, and hold him for ransom. He thinks Yasmin helped them, takes her, and only later learns she did not. Rudolph Valentino plays both the son and the father. Vilma Bánky plays Yasmin. Agnes Ayres returns as Diana.
Cast & crew
More about The Son of the Sheik
George Fitzmaurice directed and produced. Frances Marion adapted Edith Maude Hull's 1925 novel The Sons of the Sheik. George Barnes photographed. United Artists released it. 68 minutes. Valentino's last film. He died of peritonitis at 31, and the general release came nearly two weeks later. Karl Dane and Montagu Love are billed. Named to the National Film Registry in 2003. In the public domain since January 1, 2022.
Themes
Look
George Barnes shot the dunes in California and Arizona.
Preservation
In the public domain since January 1, 2022. Named to the National Film Registry in 2003.
Notes
- Valentino is father and son. Ayres is only Diana.
- The novel's title is plural, The Sons of the Sheik.
- The torture is the gang's work, before he blames Yasmin.
- The 2003 registry listing came while the film was still in copyright.
Awards
- National Film Registry (2003)
Scenes
- The gang holds the son for ransom.
- He learns Yasmin did not set the trap.
Influenced by
- Edith Maude Hull's The Sons of the Sheik (1925)
- The Sheik (1921)
