The Sheik (1921)

Set in North Africa, a headstrong English girl (Agnes Ayres) heads out to the desert escorted only by Arab natives. She is captured by a sheik (Rudolph Valentino) who intends to keep her as his mistress. Based on the novel by Edith Maude Hull and directed by George Melford. The film's sexual politics are quite dated. Being kidnapped by a hunky desert sheik and held his prisoner may have seemed romantic in 1921 but today, it goes against the grain of everything we believe in. The novel's rape would have rendered Valentino's sheik unsympathetic so that was cut. Now, it's just the threat of rape that we have to deal with. This is the movie that solidified Valentino's stardom which had started earlier in the year with FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE but at this stage in his career, he's very charismatic and little else. The film was a massive success and spawned a sequel SON OF THE SHEIK in 1926. An important film for historical purposes but other than that, it's a curio. With Adolphe Menjou, Ruth Miller and future director George Waggner.