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George Fitzmaurice, United Artists, 1926. Rudolph Valentino plays both Ahmed, the son, and the older sheik from the 1921 hit. Vilma Bánky is Yasmin, a dancing girl he thinks betrayed him. Frances Marion on the script, from E.M. Hull. Shot in part at Guadalupe dunes, the same sand DeMille had used. It opened after Valentino’s death in August 1926 and became the farewell the studios could sell. He had wanted a lighter picture than The Sheik. Sixty-nine minutes. The double role is a trick and a career closing its own loop.
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Valentino playing father and son by double exposure, in the same Guadalupe sand DeMille used. It opened weeks after he died and the grief sold it. He had wanted something lighter than The Sheik. What he got was a farewell the studio could bill.
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Further reading
- EssayMovies Silently Review ★★★½ (opens in a new tab)
- EssayFrom the Film Registry: The Son of the Sheik (1926) — Library of Congress Now See Hear! (opens in a new tab)
- EssayThe Son of the Sheik | Britannica — Britannica (opens in a new tab)
- EssayThe Son of the Sheik - San Francisco Silent Film Festival (opens in a new tab)
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