The Sheik

E12443

The Sheik is a 1921 silent romantic drama film that became one of Rudolph Valentino’s most iconic roles and a defining work of early Hollywood stardom.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf American film
black-and-white film
feature film
romantic drama film
silent film
basedOn The Sheik (novel)
basedOnAuthor Edith Maude Hull
boxOfficeStatus major commercial success
censorship subject to moral controversy for its sexual themes
character Lady Diana Mayo
Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan
colorProcess black and white
countryOfOrigin United States
culturalImpact influenced Western fantasies of the exotic Orient
director George Melford
distributionFormat 35 mm film
distributor Paramount Pictures
era early Hollywood
filmEra silent era
filmFormat silent narrative feature
followedBy The Son of the Sheik
format silent
genre drama
romance
historicalSignificance defining work of early Hollywood stardom
intertitlesLanguage English
leadActorNationality Italian-born American (Rudolph Valentino)
leadActressNationality American (Agnes Ayres)
music accompanied by live or compiled musical scores in theaters
notableFor being one of Rudolph Valentino’s most iconic roles
making Rudolph Valentino a major sex symbol
popularizing the desert romance genre in cinema
originalLanguage Silent film with English intertitles
portrays Agnes Ayres as Lady Diana Mayo
Rudolph Valentino as Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan
producer Jesse L. Lasky
productionCompany Famous Players–Lasky Corporation
releaseDate October 30, 1921
releaseYear 1921
runtime approximately 86 minutes
screenwriter Monte M. Katterjohn
sequelReleaseYear 1926
setIn North Africa
Sahara Desert
starring Adolphe Menjou
Agnes Ayres
Rudolph Valentino
Walter Long

Referenced by (8)

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