murmur & shout

Today’s feature: The Sheik

Oof. Not so good. For one thing, Valentino grins like a maniac (see above) all the time, regardless of the situation. It’s very disconcerting. The rest of the performances are not much better. This must have been what Debbie Reynolds’ character in Singin’ in the Rain meant by “a lot of dumb show.” For another, the story is mildly unpleasant. Racist, of course (but then I’ve never seen a movie made before 1960 that didn’t have something racist in it), or at least culturally insensitive, and Agnes Ayres’ character develops the most baffling case of Stockholm syndrome I’ve ever seen.

Despite not being particularly good, The Sheik does have value as an example of film history, if you’re into that sort of thing: the intricately illustrated title cards, the image tinting to evoke different emotions or times of day, the cinematography and crude special effects. After all, the movies were still pretty young in 1921. One other reason to watch it is so you can see the dramatic advances made in both Valentino’s acting and the art and technology of filmmaking in the mere five years between The Sheik and its sequel. On to Son of the Sheik!