Romancefest 15: The Sheik

We go way back to 1921 for this one -- the first silent film of the month: THE SHEIK, starring the appropriately named Rudolph Valentino.

Most people these days probably couldn't pick Valentino's image out of a line up or name any of his movies, and they'd be hard pressed to give any biographical info on the guy. But, he was famous enough in his day that most would be able to at least say, "Wasn't he a matinee idol or something?"

Yes, he was. He died young (31) but had about 5 years of intense fame and huge stardom, and apparently THE SHEIK was his biggest hit. I'd never heard of it until it popped up on AFI's "100 Years, 100 Passions" list.

Watching the film, I realized most of the silent films I've seen have either been comedies or horror films, both of which hold up really well throughout the passage of time. What's funny is funny and what's scary is scary. I've seen a couple dramas, but never an overblown romance like THE SHEIK.

I guess my point is that it doesn't hold up that well -- it's about an hour and a half long and tells a story that could be taken care of in about 30 minutes. Valentino stars as the title character, The Sheik, but I found his co-star, the female lead, Agnes Ayres, much more appealing. It seemed like the movie came to a stop every time she was off screen and then came back to life again as soon as she returned.

Ayres is a wealthy, but eccentric, English woman who, despite warnings from her peers, decides to embark on a desert adventure in Arabia with only one guide. She's instantly kidnapped by the title Sheik (Valentino, still) who had previously fallen for her after spotting her in the city on the evening before her departure. He takes her back to his camp to woo (and/or rape) her, but she spurns his advances. Eventually, he lets her go, but she's immediately kidnapped by Omair the desert bandit (Walter Long) who also wants to woo (and/or rape) her. So, it's up to Valentino to get his army together and rescue her.

The sheer amount of people, and horses, and camels, running around in a desert setting back in 1921 is pretty impressive. But they're at the service of a pretty weak plot. The one potentially interesting angle of the story is the cross-cultural relationship, but even that's rendered null and void at the last moment as Valentino's Sheik is revealed to be an Englishman ADOPTED by the previous Sheik.

One image that will stick with me: after Valentino lets Ayres go, as she's resting on the side of a sand dune, she idley doodles love notes into the sand with a stick, professing her love for the Sheik. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie isn't so memorable.

Still, this is the kind of movie other film experts tell you that you HAVE to see at some point, so I guess I can cross it off the list.