The Sheik, based on a bestselling romance novel by Edith Maude Hull, was a huge success with audiences: it set new movie theatre attendance records, and grossed more than a million dollars in its first year of release. It made Rudolph Valentino an international film star, and established him as one of the first male movie sex symbols. The Sheik’s popularity also inspired a Middle Eastern vogue in fashions, jewelry and even hairstyles; and the word “sheik” come into use to mean a young man on the prowl, or a man irresistibly attractive to romantic young women.
This silent film will be accompanied live by VFF favourite, pianist Jordan Klapman.