Plot: What’s it about?
The Sheik is a 100-year-old film from the silent film era that, had I not been sent for review, I would have skipped altogether. Not to sound harsh, but I find the silent film era to be one that truly tests my endurance. I can appreciate many things and understand their significance even if I am not a particular fan. There is indeed an audience who can appreciate this, but it just isn’t for me.
Rudolph Valentino plays the Arabian Sheik known as Ahmed Ben Hassan. He is charming and becomes infatuated with the adventurous Englishwoman known as Lady Diana Mayo (Agnes Ayres). Diana is an independent woman who embarks on a journey to Algeria. As she makes her way to the desert, this catches the Sheik’s eye, and he becomes smitten with her. She denies his advances, so this leads him to kidnap her and try to convince her to love him. Seems logical, doesn’t it? Indeed, that is an odd thing to do, and I would like to see a modern retelling of this story that is not a silent film. As it stands, it reads better than it plays out.
When viewing The Sheik I did put myself in the perspective of the viewers who saw it all those years ago. I can only imagine the initial excitement back when the content was much more limited than it is today. Still, that doesn’t forward what I took away from this. While it was interesting to see something 100 years old, it mostly bored me and isn’t something I will revisit.
Video: How’s it look?
Paramount’s 1.33:1 AVC HD encode is just a so-so transfer. We have to remember that 100 years have now gone by since the film was released, so the fact that it’s as watchable as it is quite the feat. There are noticeable scratches and wear on the print, but there are also some good details as well. Expect a yellowish tint throughout the film, but this is more of how the film was shot at the time, so fault shouldn’t be made there. All things taken into consideration, this film looks probably as good as it can given the things going against it.
Audio: How’s it sound?
We get a Dolby TrueHD 2.0 that solely consists of the film’s score. Roger Bellon did the new score and I suppose the disc presents it as well as it should. It will keep the viewer invested I suppose. Evidently, the Kino release has the option to hear the alternate score.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Desert Heat – The disc’s lone supplement is a 12-minute feature with comments from film historian Professor Leslie Midkiff DeBacuche. It is interesting to hear her thoughts as she takes us back to this era. I enjoyed the talk of star Rudolph Valentino as well.
The Bottom Line
This one is largely for the fans. You will find a well-presented disc for a 100-year-old silent film. If that is your thing, then have at it.
