| The Sheik | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | George Melford |
| Written by | Monte M. Katterjohn (adaptation) |
| Based on | The Sheik by Edith Maude Hull |
| Produced by | Fred Quimby |
| Starring | Rudolph Valentino Agnes Ayres |
| Cinematography | William Marshall |
| Music by | Irving Berlin (1970s reissue) |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
| Budget | under $200,000 |
| Box office | $1.5 million (US/Canada)[1][2] |
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. It was based on the bestselling 1919 romance novel of the same name by Edith Maude Hull and was adapted for the screen by Monte M. Katterjohn. The film was a box-office hit and helped propel Valentino to stardom.[3]
In the 1926 sequel The Son of the Sheik, Valentino played both the Sheik and his son, while Ayres reprised her role. A third film in the series, She's a Sheik, was produced in 1927 by Paramount and starred Bebe Daniels in a comedic role reversal of the original film.
- ^ Variety list of box office champions
- ^ Quigley Publishing Company "The All Time Best Sellers", International Motion Picture Almanac 1937-38 (1938) p 942 accessed April 19, 2014
- ^ Holmes, Su; Redmond, Sean (2012). Framing Celebrity: New Directions In Celebrity Culture. Routledge. p. 137. ISBN 978-1-135-65371-2.