The Son of the Sheik is a 1926 American silent adventure drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and Rudolph Valentino and Vilma Blanky. The film is based on the 1925 romance novel “The Sons of the Sheik” by Edith Maude Hull, and a sequal to the 1921 hit film The sheik which also stars Rudolph Valentino. The Son of the Sheik is Valentino’s final film and went into general release nearly two weeks after his death from peritonitis in 1926 at the age of 31.
Synopsis – Ahmed (Rudolph Valentino), the son of an Arab sheik and a kidnapped English gentlewoman (Agnes Ayres), loves local dancing girl Yasmin (Vilma Banky). When he slips out of his father’s heavily guarded compound to woo her, he is kidnapped and held for ransom by a group of bandits led by Yasmin’s father and Ghabah, the Moor to whom she is betrothed.
Backstory -At the time of the film’s release, Rudolph Valentino was attempting to make a comeback in films. He rose to international stardom after the release of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and The Sheik in 1921, both of which were box-office hits and solidified his image as “the Great Lover”. By 1924, however, Valentino’s popularity had begun to wane after he appeared in two box office failures, Monsieur Beaucaire and A Sainted Devil, both of which featured him in roles that were a departure from his “Great Lover” image. He also squabbled over money with Famous Players-Lasky, the studio he was signed to, which eventually led to him walking out on his contract. Famous Players–Lasky eventually released Valentino from his contract and he signed with United Artists in 1925.
In an effort to capitalize on the success that Valentino had achieved with The Sheik, United Artists’ president Joseph M Schenck bought the rights to Edith Maude Hull’s novel Son of the Sheik and cast Valentino in the dual role of father and son. Valentino was paid $100,000. The director was paid $75,000 and Frances Marion $25,000. The film was shot on location in California and in the Yuma Desert in Arizona.
This is a mainstay movie for the Majestic Theatre Pomona and the first silent film screened at the theatre back in the 1980s.
Doors and bar open 11am. Coffee, Tea, Snacks and refreshments available. Movie screens at 12 noon. Tickets $15 and free for kids 13 and under. No need to book. Get your tickets at the door. Film duration 80 minutes.