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The Sheik

Silent and Early Cinema Landmarks

The Sheik is a 1921 American silent romantic drama starring Rudolph Valentino as a desert sheik who abducts and falls in love with an Englishwoman, adapted from a popular novel by E. M. Hull. The film was an enormous box-office success and made Valentino one of the biggest stars of the silent era, establishing the archetype of the smoldering foreign romantic lead that came to be closely associated with him for the rest of his career. The Sheik is widely regarded as a landmark of silent-era star-driven romance and one of the defining commercial hits of early 1920s Hollywood cinema.

Facts
Release Year
1921 1
Country
United States 2
Classification
Original Language
English 1
FAQs

Was The Sheik the film that made Rudolph Valentino a star?

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse made him a star; The Sheik made him the most popular male box office star of his time.

A Library of Congress film essay splits the credit between two films. It says that if Metro's The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse made Valentino a star, it was Paramount's 1921 film The Sheik that made him the most popular male box office star of his time. In other words, The Sheik turned an existing star into the biggest draw of the era.
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Source The Sheik (film) (Wikipedia)

In Medium

Film, Media Forms
Source The Sheik (film) (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Original Language

Also in Language Atlas: the original language of this subject.

Originated In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Sources
1. Wikidata: The Sheik
Wikidata Q1196670, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
2. Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.The Sheik, Description, original language
Quote, The Sheik, Description, original language
The Sheik is a 1921 American silent romantic drama starring Rudolph Valentino as a desert sheik who abducts and falls in love with an Englishwoman, adapted from a popular novel by E. M. Hull.
View the Source
The Sheik (film) (Wikipedia)
  • In Medium: Film, Article lead sentence
    The Sheik is a 1921 American silent romantic drama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky, directed by George Melford, starring Rudolph Valentino and Agnes Ayres, and featuring Adolphe Menjou.
  • Created By: George Melford, Infobox: director
    George Melford
  • In Group: American Silent Dramas and Adventures, Lead
    The Sheik is a 1921 American silent romantic drama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky, directed by George Melford, starring Rudolph Valentino and Agnes Ayres, and featuring Adolphe Menjou.
View the Source
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