This is not only the flagship of Valentino's film, capturing Valentino at his prime, it is the most beautifully photographed. The camera was stationary on the tripod for the filming of this jewel, so they could literally focus on everything else. The tinting added a hint of the time of day and visual contrast. By the time of The Son of Sheik ten years later, the cinematographer was expected to pan and move the camera and apparently this was so hard to do with the available equipment at the time that they lost control of the details of beautiful filming.The inter-titles are also magnificent in this film.

Sheik, The (1921) *** (out of 4) Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan (Rudolph Valentino) is accustom to having his wishes fulfilled by whoever he asks but he gets a challenge from an English woman (Agnes Ayres) who is more freewheeling and doesn't believe that a man owns a woman. The Sheik eventually kidnaps the woman, forcing her to his retreat in the desert where he slowly tries to force his will on her. This film has certainly become one of the landmarks of cinema as it created a brand new type of sex symbol and it forever made a legend out of star Valentino. It's strange because I really enjoyed this movie yet I really can't say why I did because there's so many negative things in the movie. For starters, you could easily call this movie both sexist and racist yet I guess no one in 1921 cared. I guess the woman who made this movie a hit didn't mind the fact that the Sheik was not only a kidnapper but also a rapist and an all around bad guy. I guess a little dark side didn't turn anyone off. I'm rather amazed at watching this film that it was such a hit and that women would drop head over hills for a man like the character here. I really don't know what it was but I guess Valentino managed to put a spell on the women in the crowd just like his character in the film. I will add that I've seen several Valentino pictures before and after them and the majority of them feature a better performance but I guess that really doesn't matter too much. I found Valentino here to be way over-the-top during certain scenes but this might be due to the rather poor direction. We have way too many silly shots of Valentino giving silly looks at the camera and it's easy to see why some critics attacked this film in 1921 because shots like these do make it come off campy. Valentino certainly knows how to play up the sex appeal but again, I'm still somewhat shocked this went over so well with women. Ayres isn't all that impressive as the female lead but we do get strong supporting performances by Adolphe Menjoy, Walter Long and Lucien Littlefield. I've read different reports of where the exteriors shots were actually filmed but wherever they were they do look terrific and add a lot to the film. The tints on the print I viewed also helped things quite a bit. I'm not sure what movie people in 2010 will make of this movie but I'm sure many would either laugh it off or be offended by it. I'm really not sure why it kept me entertained so but I had a pleasant time with the picture no matter how many flaws it did have.

Since roughly half the voters gave this a 10, I wonder why none of them cared to comment on the film. Question to those 10ers - If this is a 10, what do you give Douglas Fairbanks' "The Iron Mask" or his "The Three Musketeers"? 20's? What gives? To all those not familiar with Silent Films - do NOT let this ranking fool you into believing that this is among the better Silents and lead you into dismissing this Genre! "Sunrise"(1927) has one of the most amazing tracking shot. "Der letzter Mann" aka "The Last Laugh" (1924) is an incisive glimpse into human character as is "Greed" (1924). Remember most of Chaplin's films were silent! Also, I noted that more than half of those commenting (me included) rated this well below the median. Take a peek at the voting breakdown and notice the "bell curve". It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see where 300 "extra" votes went.As a period love story, this may be worth watching. To the 10ers - you should take in "Love Story" (1970).

For reasons difficult for mere man to diagnose, the sheik represented the ultimate in masculine appeal… Call it the mystery of the burning sands, the magic lure of the tropics, the titillating uncertainty of the unfamiliar, the reputed animal magnetism of the Arab aristocrat—these are mere words which leave the cult of this particular sheik unexplained… Give Valentino a burnoose, a bejeweled dagger and fancy belt, a pair of riding boots, a luxurious tent with intimations of a harem in the background and a well-cushioned couch in the foreground, and he became irresistible… To be borne in his arm on a white Arabian stallion, struggling virtuously but not too violently, was apparently the goal of nearly every woman's ambition… Much of the action of "The Sheik" consisted of a menacing Valentino staring at a pleading Agnes Ayres while they warily circled each other in preparation for the clinch that was a long time coming