THE SHEIK (1921)

Rudolph Valentino opened his breakthru year tangoing to stardom in Rex Ingram’s FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE, and ended it sealing his place in movie mythology as a sheik in Araby, abducting a headstrong English adventuress to his desert compound. A sensation in 1921, and looking swell, after a scratchy first reel, on a new KINO DVD, its basic appeal not far removed from FIFTY SHADES . . . and nearly as ridiculous. Something of a double rape fantasy, with Rudi holding back when the lady’s fair flesh adds pity to passion, arousing tender, lust-taming love before a ride to the rescue when an Arab bandit abducts the abductee for less allegorical rape. Popular as this was at the time, it was also derided (especially with its cop-out ‘reveal’ ending), so that its sequel (Rudi’s posthumously released final film, SON OF THE SHEIK/’26) was a winking riff on it. First-billed Agnes Ayres hardly seems worth all the bother, but the rest of the cast does well enough, with Adolphe Menjou, two years before A WOMAN OF PARIS/’23 for Chaplin, making something touching out his nonsensical role as a French novelist visiting The Sheik in the desert. Puerile stuff, with director George Melford organizing some impressive horseback charges over the sand, but unable to keep Ayres from chewing the scenery or Valentino from popping his eyes with lusty passion. And yet, in full face close-up, the charm and magnetism still come thru. But best perhaps to start elsewhere.*

DOUBLE-BILL: *In 1921, ‘elsewhere’ offers up two Rex Ingram pics, HORSEMEN and THE CONQUERING POWER, or Nazimova’s odd, fascinating CAMILLE.