Movie Description
The Son of the Sheik is a 1926 American silent adventure/drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Rudolph Valentino and Vilma Banky. The film is based on the 1925 romance novel of the same name by Edith Maude Hull, and is a sequel to the 1921 hit film The Sheik which also stars Rudolph Valentino. The Son of the Sheik is Valentino's final film and was released nearly two weeks after his death from peritonitis at the age of 31.
In 2003, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
An advanced screening of The Son of the Sheik was shown at the Million Dollar Theater in Los Angeles on July 9, 1926. Valentino then embarked on a nationwide tour to promote the film. On August 15, he collapsed in his New York City hotel room and was rushed to the hospital. Doctors discovered he had a perforated ulcer which required emergency surgery. After the surgery, Valentino developed peritonitis and died on August 23, 1926.
The Son of the Sheik was released nationwide on September 5, 1926, nearly two weeks after Valentino's death. The film was an instant hit with audiences and grossed $1,000,000 within the first year of its release. Eventually it more than doubled that. Some critics have heralded Valentino's performance in the film as one of the best of his career.
(Summary from Wikipedia)
Copyright Info: This movie is in the public domain and is legally available for free on YouTube.