Watch The Sheik For Free

You won't be disappointed!

That was an excellent one.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

This film tells the story of a sheik (Rudolph Valentino) who captures an English woman (Agnes Ayres) and takes her to her strongholds in the Sahara desert. Initially frightened by the situation, the girl ends up falling in love with her captor. After being kidnapped again - now by a desert villain - all she wants is to be rescued by the sheik galan. Despite the dubious moral present in this film, there is no denying that director George Melford knew how to work with some quality the adventure spirit of the film. Even with some monotonous parts, it is generally a pleasant experience in terms of rhythm, especially in some scenes that explore the desert and focus on action. A reasonably satisfying film. One of the 1921 films that would bring Rudolph Valentino to stardom.

Rudolph Valentino (Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan), Agnes Ayres (Lady Diana Mayo), Adolphe Menjou (Raoul de St Hubert), Lucien Littlefield (Gaston, the servant), Walter Long (Omair, the bandit), Frank Butler (Sir Aubrey Mayo), George Waggner (Yousaef), Patsy Ruth Miller (Zilahl, a slave girl), Charles Brinley (Mustapha Ali), Sally Blane, Loretta Young, Polly Ann Young (Arab children), Natacha Rambova (extra). Director: GEORGE MELFORD. Screenplay: Monte M. Katterjohn. Based on the 1919 novel by Edith M. Hull. Photography: William Marshall. Stunts: Buddy Roosevelt. Producer: George Melford. Executive producer: Jesse L. Lasky. Copyright 25 October 1921 by Famous Players-Lasky Corporation. A Paramount Picture. U.S. release: 30 October 1921. New York opening simultaneously at the Rivoli and the Rialto: 5 November 1921. 86 minutes.SYNOPSIS: A young, handsome Arab sheik abducts an English noblewoman.NOTES: A sequel, The Son of the Sheik, was released by United Artists in 1926. Agnes Ayres and Rudolph Valentino reprized their roles (Valentino also played the son).COMMENT: Admittedly, this is not one of Rudolph's best performances (he's forced to smile or leer just a bit too much in the first half of the action), but the film is great. Unlike that plodding director, Fred Niblo, George Melford is a real artist. Every shot is beautifully composed and framed. (When George Cukor framed a few of his shots in the 1954 A Star Is Born, he was hailed as a genius of the cinema, yet Melford does it almost all the time). And although The Sheik was not color-tinted, it boasts some of the most attractive black-and-white photography ever shown on a theater screen. Production values (sets, costumes, extras and locations) are absolutely out of this world. Melford has dipped into Jesse Lasky's purse with wonderful abandon. The story holds the attention too. And there are solid performances from Adolphe Menjou, Lucien Littlefield and Walter Long. In fact, the only thing wrong with the movie is Agnes Ayres. Her acting is a bit on the hammy side, and her figure seems somewhat too chunky to attract the interest of an impatient playboy. However, I guess you can't have everything.

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.

I read the book many years ago, and also read a biography on Rudolph Valentino. At last I have finally got to watch the film on DVD. To me it was a lesson in how not to do two things at the same time. To truly watch a silent movie you really can't be doing something else. Not a bad thing really. Seeing the facial expressions told the story as much as the lovely old script text, and piano music. I wonder if modern day actors and actresses could convey the story and how they are feeling today. I am sure that a lot of women would still "swoon" at Rudolph Valentino when he gives that magnetic smile, not to mention the men with the contrasting emotions of feisty to demure of Agnes Ayers. A good old fashioned romance with a happy ending, but like all films,never a clone of the book. Definitely worth viewing, if only for nostalgia's sake.