Kino Lorber: The Sheik and The Son of the Sheik Releases Dated
HomeKino Lorber: The Sheik and The Son of the Sheik Releases Dated
Posted March 22, 2017 05:25 PM by Webmaster
Kino Lorber have dated their upcoming Blu-ray releases of director George Melford's film The Sheik (1921) and George Fitzmaurice's The Son of the Sheik (1926). The two releases will be available for purchase on May 30.
The Sheik
Synopsis: Women fainted in the aisles when The Sheik was released in 1921. The titled Lady Diana Mayo (Agnes Ayres) is carried into the desert by a n Arab chieftain, Ahmed Ben Hassan (Valentino), who takes one look at her and wants her, right then and there. Filmed on the heels of women's suffrage, Lady Diana was presented as a strong-willed and intelligent character, but as for Ahmed- nobody had seen anything like Valentino's natural sex appeal on the screen before. His charismatic presence electrified audiences; his Sheik symbolized the forbidden allure of the exotic and forever secured Valentino's place in screen legend. From the lavish dressing of this production, Arabian wall tapestries, tunics, cassocks, and garish jewelry became a fad in decoration and attire.
Paramount hustled its new sensation from one uninspired vehicle to another, and Valentino, by all accounts an intelligent and considerate person, finally expressed his displeasure by taking leave of the studio. Legally blocked by Paramount from making films for others, he an his wife Natacha Rambova, embarked on a national dance tour sponsored by a beauty aid called Mineralava. It culminated in a beauty contest judged by Valentino. Starring Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres, Ruth Miller, George Waggner, and Frank Butler.
The Son of the Sheik
Synopsis: In this visually intoxicating sequal to Valentino's career-defining film The Sheik, the screen's greatest lover portrays a cultured yet untamed young man who is lured into a theives' trap by a beautiful dancer, Yasmin (Vilma Banky). After escaping, he kidnaps the damsel and holds her capitve in this desert lair, gowning her in Arabian finery and threatening to unleash his violent passions upon her.
Plot is almost inconsequential in The Son Of The Sheik. Its sultry beauty and torrid power lie instead in the exotic romance that saturates every frame, as sadomasochistic fantasies are played out against the lavish Orientalist sets designed by William Cameron Menzies (The Thief of Bagdad), lushly photographed by George Barnes (Sadie Thompson).
The Son Of The Sheik proved to be Valentino's final film. He died suddenly on Auguest 23, 1926 at age 31, shortly after the film was released.
The Sheik
Synopsis: Women fainted in the aisles when The Sheik was released in 1921. The titled Lady Diana Mayo (Agnes Ayres) is carried into the desert by a n Arab chieftain, Ahmed Ben Hassan (Valentino), who takes one look at her and wants her, right then and there. Filmed on the heels of women's suffrage, Lady Diana was presented as a strong-willed and intelligent character, but as for Ahmed- nobody had seen anything like Valentino's natural sex appeal on the screen before. His charismatic presence electrified audiences; his Sheik symbolized the forbidden allure of the exotic and forever secured Valentino's place in screen legend. From the lavish dressing of this production, Arabian wall tapestries, tunics, cassocks, and garish jewelry became a fad in decoration and attire.
Paramount hustled its new sensation from one uninspired vehicle to another, and Valentino, by all accounts an intelligent and considerate person, finally expressed his displeasure by taking leave of the studio. Legally blocked by Paramount from making films for others, he an his wife Natacha Rambova, embarked on a national dance tour sponsored by a beauty aid called Mineralava. It culminated in a beauty contest judged by Valentino. Starring Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres, Ruth Miller, George Waggner, and Frank Butler.
The Son of the Sheik
Synopsis: In this visually intoxicating sequal to Valentino's career-defining film The Sheik, the screen's greatest lover portrays a cultured yet untamed young man who is lured into a theives' trap by a beautiful dancer, Yasmin (Vilma Banky). After escaping, he kidnaps the damsel and holds her capitve in this desert lair, gowning her in Arabian finery and threatening to unleash his violent passions upon her.
Plot is almost inconsequential in The Son Of The Sheik. Its sultry beauty and torrid power lie instead in the exotic romance that saturates every frame, as sadomasochistic fantasies are played out against the lavish Orientalist sets designed by William Cameron Menzies (The Thief of Bagdad), lushly photographed by George Barnes (Sadie Thompson).
The Son Of The Sheik proved to be Valentino's final film. He died suddenly on Auguest 23, 1926 at age 31, shortly after the film was released.
