The Son Of The Sheik (1926)

The son of a desert sheik (Rudolph Valentino), a young man (Rudolph Valentino) becomes infatuated with a dancer (Vilma Banky) even though his father has already chosen a bride for him. This disobedience causes him to fall into the hands of a band of thieves. Based on the novel by Edith Maude Hull and directed by George Fitzmaurice (MATA HARI). Valentino caused a sensation in THE SHEIK in 1921 and it made him a star. Jump five years later and his last couple of pictures have lost money. So why not do the obvious? Make a sequel to the movie that made you a star? It's a decent piece of romantic nonsense but as an actor, Valentino had moved beyond these exotic romances and displayed his acting chops in films like BLOOD AND SAND and THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE. Sadly, the film was his swan song as he died at the age of 31 about six weeks after this movie was released. As to the film itself, it remains an archival testament to Valentino's screen presence and it's a tolerable watch. With Agnes Ayres recreating her role in the original THE SHEIK, only this time as Valentino's mother. Also in the cast: Montagu Love and George Fawcett.