Silent Era Information*Progressive Silent Film List*Lost Films*People*Theaters
Taylorology*Articles*Home Video*Books*Search
 
Foolish Wives BD
 
Silent Era Home Page  >  Home Video  >  The Sheik
 
Silent Era Films on Home Video
Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett
and the Silent Era Company.
All Rights Reserved.

The Sheik
(1921)

 

It is a well known and often told story that Rudolph Valentino was a largely unknown actor when he appeared in The Sheik (1921), the film that shot him into the rarified heights of an international film star.

The film, based on a ‘scandalous’ British novel, seems more than a bit melodramatic today, with its ‘forbidden’ interracial love elements and its sappy story of a privileged and self-determined society woman who is knocked-down a peg or two by the desert and its inhabitants. However, Valentino (who does more than his share of ridiculous eye-popping in the film in lieu of better acting devices — fault director George Melford for not keeping it under control) holds the film together by virtue of his magnetic presence alone. There are plenty of shots of Valentino flashing that million-dollar smile that made him the top matinee idol of the 1920s. The film, nonetheless, does have a number of exciting action sequences that help it rise above the average film fare of 1921.

Carl Bennett

Kino Classics
2017 Blu-ray Disc edition

The Sheik (1921) [original release version], color-tinted black & white, 76 minutes, not rated.

Kino Lorber, K21236, UPC 7-38329-21236-0.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region A Blu-ray Disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) 24 fps progressive scan image encoded in SDR AVC format at 36.4 Mbps average video bit rate; DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 1.6 Mbps audio bit rate (music) and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 2.0 Mbps audio bit rate (commentary); English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; 10 chapter stops; standard BD keepcase; $29.95.
Release date: 30 May 2017.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 8 / additional content: 7 / overall: 7.

This Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered in high-definition from 35mm archival materials. More than one print may have been utilized for the video scan as some footage is significantly scuffed while other is nearly pristene, some footage is soft in picture details, and many of the intertitles appear to have been scanned from a 16mm reduction print (some of them a bit difficult to read). Among the other flaws are dust, speckling, some loose splices, emulsion scrapes, print schmutz, and fine vertical scratches. If multiple prints were indeed sourced for this edition, we cannot be certain it entirely represents the film as originally released. Some footage may be from the original American release version, some may be from export prints that likely have alternate angles or entirely different takes.

The film is accompanied by a music score composed and performed on virtual theatre pipe organ by Ben Model.

Supplementary material includes audio commentary by professor Gaylyn Studlar of Washington University in St. Louis; archival footage taken at Valentino’s funeral; and an original theatrical trailer of Valentino’s Blood and Sand (1922).

This edition is our recommended home video edition of the film, in part for the musical accompaniment and the audio commentary.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.
Paramount Presents
2021 Blu-ray Disc edition

The Sheik (1921) [original release version], color-tinted black & white, 66 minutes, not rated.

Paramount Home Video, 3000088125,
collection number 25, UPC 1-91329-20972-1.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region A Blu-ray Disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) 24 fps progressive scan image encoded in SDR AVC format at 36.4 Mbps average video bit rate; Dolby TrueHD 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 1.6 Mbps average audio bit rate; English language intertitles, optional French foreign language subtitles (feature), and optional English and French language subtitles (documentary); 7 chapter stops; standard BD keepcase; $24.99.
Release date: 2 November 2021.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 5 / additional content: 7 / overall: 7.

This Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered in high-definition from 35mm archival materials, and is virtually identical in picture presentation to the Kino Lorber Blu-ray Disc noted above. Comments about image quality and source materials apply equally here. We have not been able (as yet) to identify why this presentation is 10 minutes shorter compared to the Kino Lorber edition.

The film is accompanied by a music score composed and performed on synthesizers by Roger Bellon. Once again, as with some other home video synthesizer-based accompaniments, we are annoyed to the point of distraction by most of Bellon’s synthesizer voicing settings.

Supplementary material includes the brief video documentary, “Desert Heat: 100 Years with The Sheik” with commentary by Leslie Midkiff DeBauche, associate professor of communications at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point (12 minutes). The information relayed feels as though it is an abbreviated version of that presented in the Kino Lorber edition. The edition includes an access code for a digital copy of the film.

We do not recommend this home video edition of the film, in large part for the annoying quality of the musical accompaniment and for the film’s shorter running time.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.
Kino Classics
2017 DVD edition

The Sheik (1921) [original release version], color-tinted black & white, 76 minutes, not rated.

Kino Lorber, K21235, UPC 7-38329-21235-1.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 1 NTSC DVD disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at ? Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $19.95.
Release date: 30 May 2017.
Country of origin: USA
This DVD edition has been mastered in high-definition from 35mm archival materials.

The film is accompanied by a music score composed and performed on virtual theatre pipe organ by Ben Model.

Supplementary material includes audio commentary by professor Gaylyn Studlar of Washington University in St. Louis; archival footage taken at Valentino’s funeral; and an original theatrical trailer of Valentino’s Blood and Sand (1922).

This edition is our recommended DVD home video edition of the film, in part for the musical accompaniment and the audio commentary.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.
Film Preservation Associates
2002 DVD edition

The Sheik (1921) [original release version], color-toned black & white, 86 minutes, not rated, with The Son of the Sheik (1926), black & white, 69 minutes, not rated, Rudolph Valentino and His 88 American Beauties (1923), black & white, 13 minutes, not rated, The Sheik’s Physique (192?), black & white, 3 minutes, not rated, and [Pathé News: Rudolph Valentino Dead!] (1926), black & white, 4 minutes, not rated.

Film Preservation Associates, distributed by Image Entertainment, ID1371DSDVD, UPC 0-14381-13712-5.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 1 NTSC DVD disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at 5.5 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 224 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; 20 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $24.99.
Release date: 25 June 2002.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 5 / additional content: 7 / overall: 7.

Comparing this DVD edition to the VHS edition released in 1992 by Paramount Home Video, one immediately realizes that the Paramount edition utilized a reedited and retitled rerelease print for its video transfer, and that this DVD edition has utilized for its transfer an excellent color-toned 35mm print of the original theatrical release version. Owners of the Paramount videotape may choose to hold onto it as a document of the reissue print.

The Blackhawk Films print for this Image DVD features a broad range of greytones and very-good image detail, with very slight print damage in the form of light speckling, scrapes, and emulsion scuffing. The transfer is full-frame but is also generously cropped at the extreme edges of the film frame to render the maximum picture (as long as your television doesn’t excessively crop overscan area). Some intertitles will be slightly cropped on some TV monitors, but that appears to be the fault of the camera framing rather than the transfer framing.

We’re not impressed by the music score performed on MIDI synthesizers by Eric Beheim (performing under the moniker, the “Café Mauré Orchestra”), however. We feel that the synthesizer sounds that are achieved are irritating at best and undermine the musical compositions themselves.

Featured with The Sheik on this DVD is the film’s sequel, The Son of the Sheik (1926). The Son of the Sheik DVD review.

Among the supplementary material is Rudolph Valentino and His 88 American Beauties (1923) is documentary produced by the young David O. Selznick during Valentino’s contract dispute with Famous Players-Lasky, and served the purpose of keeping Valentino before the moving-going public during his vaudeville tour. Valentino was a judge in a beauty contest held in New York, with 88 contestants, including future film star Eugenia Gilbert. The film is padded with a hodge podge of footage taken during the event and of the contestants afterwards, but the film served its purpose for Valentino and made Selznick a goodly sum of money at the beginning of his career as a film producer. The transfer has been made from an excellent 35mm print, with mild speckling and moderate frame jitters. The film was previously available as a supplement on laserdisc.

The Sheik’s Physique (192?) is an odd little fiction film of Valentino (complete with long, pointed sideburns) driving to the beach and, to wow female viewers, changing into a swimming suit to spend a leisurely afternoon relaxing. Having fallen asleep, Rudy awakens to discover that he is late for an undefined appointment, realizes that his car is gone, and he must hitch a ride back into town. The film, which is likely exerpted from a longer compilation reel, has little purpose other than to keep new Valentino footage on the world's cinema screens until he formally returned to film acting. Transferred from, what appears to be, an excellent 35mm print.

[Pathe News: Rudolph Valentino Dead!] (1926) is a portion of newsreel footage of the funeral of Valentino. Includes footage from The Son of the Sheik and an incidental glimpse of Pola Negri. Transferred from an excellent 35mm print that is lightly speckled, moderately jittery and slightly damaged.

All of the films on this Image DVD feature music scores performed on synthesizers by Eric Beheim, who has written extensive notes on the scoring for the insert booklet. The disc also features an alternate music track of the 1937 reissue music and sound effects track for The Son of the Sheik.

This DVD edition of Valentino’s sheik films, produced for home video by David Shepard, encompasses a five-year span during which Rudolph Valentino rose to fame, fought studio control (almost disasterously), successfully returned to films, and ultimately died a premature death at age 31. With its wealth of Valentino films in great prints, this DVD is a great buy for both value and quality.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 1 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.
Flicker Alley
2015 DVD edition

The Sheik (1921) [original release version], color-toned black & white, 86 minutes, not rated, with The Son of the Sheik (1926), black & white, 69 minutes, not rated, Rudolph Valentino and His 88 American Beauties (1923), black & white, 13 minutes, not rated, The Sheik’s Physique (192?), black & white, 3 minutes, not rated, and [Pathé News: Rudolph Valentino Dead!] (1926), black & white, 4 minutes, not rated.

Flicker Alley, distributed by MovieZyng,
FA-MD3-014, UPC 8-89290-09629-6.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD+R disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at ? Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $19.95.
Release date: 13 May 2015.
Country of origin: USA
This MOD DVD+R edition is a reissue of the Film Preservation Associates edition noted above. This edition should be identical in quality to FPA disc.

The film is presented with a music score performed on MIDI synthesizers by Eric Beheim (performing under the moniker, the “Café Mauré Orchestra”).

Supplementary material includes The Son of the Sheik, and Valentino short films.

 
This Region 0 NTSC DVD+R edition is available directly from FLICKER ALLEY through . . .
Reel Vault
2007 DVD edition

The Sheik (1921) [original release version], black & white, 86 minutes, not rated.

Reel Vault, 3231D, UPC 6-44827-32312-8.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), 6.8 Mbps average video bit rate, 192 Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, 10 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $8.99 (raised to $9.99).
Release date: 2007.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 5 / audio: 6 / additional content: 0 / overall: 5.

This DVD-R edition has been mastered from what appears to be a 16mm reduction print, which may originate from the Blackhawk Films collection, but the low-resolution disc encoding (or the print itself) makes the picture undesirably blurry. On standard-resolution monitors, the horizontal lines of resolution can clearly be seen. The disc will look better when viewed on an HD system capable of deinterlacing the picture and resolution upscaling (preferably upscaled to a 60FPS progressive scan signal).

The film is accompanied by an improvised music score performed on an upright piano by Keith Taylor.

Over the years, this company has released DVD-R editions under a number of company names, with the same catalog number and UPC number, including Nostalgia Family Video, Hollywood’s Attic (as originally reviewed), RetroFlix, and (as of 2015) Reel Vault. This is not a bad edition of the film but the disc will play better on a computer screen than on a high-resolution big screen. Ultimately, just get the Kino Lorber Blu-ray Disc edition noted above.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Alpha Video
2013 DVD edition

The Sheik (1921), black & white, 55 minutes, not rated.

Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 7228D, UPC 0-89218-72289-8.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 mono sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $7.98 (raised to $8.98).
Release date: 10 December 2013.
Country of origin: USA

This DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from a 16mm reduction print.

The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack of preexisting recordings.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Instant Vision
2004 DVD edition

The Sheik (1921), black & white, 86 minutes, BBFC Classification U.

Instant Vision Limited, DVDIV081, UPC 5-060005-701383.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 2 PAL DVD disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 576 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 mono? sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; £9.99.
Release date: 19 April 2004.
Country of origin: England
It is unknown what quality of materials have been utilized for this British PAL DVD edition.

North American collectors will need a region-free PAL DVD player capable of outputting an NTSC-compatible signal to view this edition.

 
United Kingdom: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 2 PAL DVD edition from Amazon.co.uk. Support Silent Era.
Passport Video
2009 DVD edition

The Rudolph Valentino Collection: 5 Fabulous Films (1918-1925), black & white, 420 minutes total, not rated, including The Sheik (1921), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

Passport Video,
unknown catalog number, unknown UPC number.
Three single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD discs, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 8-bit 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops; five-disc DVD keepcase; $19.98.
Release date: 11 August 2009.
Country of origin: USA
This three-disc DVD collection of Rudolph Valentino films may have been mastered from 16mm reduction prints. All of the films in the collection have previously appeared on DVD in high-quality editions.

The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting recordings.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Reel Enterprises
2007 DVD edition

The Sheik (1921), black & white, 80 minutes, not rated.

Reel Enterprises,
unknown catalog number, unknown UPC number.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $9.95.
Release date: 2 March 2007.
Country of origin: USA
This budget DVD-R edition has likely been mastered from 16mm reduction print materials.

It is unknown which version of the film is presented (original or rerelease version).

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Nostalgia Family Video
2010 DVD edition

The Sheik (1921), black & white, 73 minutes, not rated.

Nostalgia Family Video, 3231D, unknown UPC number.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 mono sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $19.99.
Release date: 2010.
Country of origin: USA
This DVD-R edition was likely mastered from a 16mm reduction print.

The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting recordings.

 
NOSTALGIA FAMILY VIDEO has discontinued business
and this DVD-R edition is . . .
DDC Labs
200? DVD edition

The Sheik (1921), black & white, ? minutes, not rated, with Intolerance (1916), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

DDC Labs, unknown catalog number, unknown UPC number.
One double-sided?, single-layered?, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 mono? sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles?, chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; unknown suggested retail price.
Release date: 2005?.
Country of origin: Canada
This cheapy DVD edition from Canada also features a presentation of Intolerance (1916).

It is unknown which version of the film is presented (original or rerelease version) or the quality of source materials used for the video transfer.

Other RUDOLPH VALENTINO films available on home video.

Other silent era ADOLPHE MENJOU films available on home video.

 
Silent Era Home Page  >  Home Video  >  The Sheik
 
Lodger BD
Become a Patron of Silent Era

LINKS IN THIS COLUMN
WILL TAKE YOU TO
EXTERNAL WEBSITES

SUPPORT SILENT ERA
USING THESE LINKS
WHEN SHOPPING AT
AMAZON

AmazonUS
AmazonCA
AmazonUK

The Sheik BD

Son of the Sheik BD

Valentino Collection 1 BD

Valentino Collection 2 BD

The Eagle BD

Beyond the Rocks DVD

Floating Weeds BD

Vitagraph BD

Road to Ruin BD

Cat and the Canary BD

Boob / Why Be Good BD

Madame DuBarry BD

Stella Maris BD

Three Ages / Hospitality BD

Pandora's Box BD

Browning's Shockers BD

Johnstown Flood BD

3 Musketeers / Iron Mask BD

Piccadilly BD

Spanish Dancer BD

Laurel & Hardy Year 1 BD

The Doll BD

Robin Hood / Black Pirate BD

Sky High BD

Michael BD

Johannna Enlists BD

Wolves / North BD

Metropolis BD

Metropolis DVD

Fragment of an Empire BD

Charley Bowers BD

Sherlock Jr BD

Chaplin at Keystone DVD

The General BD

Underground BD

Battleship Potemkin BD

Chaplin Mutuals BD/DVD

Georges Méliès DVD

Mysterious Island DVD

Fairbanks DVD Boxset

General / Steamboat Bill Jr BD

Chicago DVD

The Last Warning BD

L’Argent BD

Our Hospitality (Lobster) BD

The Eagle BD

Der Hund von Baskerville BD

Lloyd Collection

Miss Mend DVD

The Informer BD

La Roue DVD

The Man Who Laughs BD

The Last Laugh DVD

Uncle Tom's Cabin BD

The Circus BD

Méliès Fairy Tales BD/DVD

Peter Pan BD

Prince Achmed BD