Rudolph Valentino's The Son Of The Sheik Getting Masters Of Cinema Release

Eureka Entertainment to release one of the silent era’s most popular films, THE SON OF THE SHEIK; starring Rudolph Valentino in his final onscreen appearance. Released on 17 February 2020 as part of The Masters of Cinema Series in a definitive Dual Format (Blu-ray & DVD) edition, presented from a new restoration available for the first time on home video.

One of the most popular films from the silent era, director George Fitzmaurice’s The Son of the Sheik stars Rudolph Valentino who gives perhaps the finest performance of his career. Unfortunately, it would be his last, he died suddenly at the age of 31, just days before the film’s release.

In this visually intoxicating sequel to Valentino’s career-defining film The Sheik, the silent screen’s greatest lover portrays a cultured yet untamed young man who is lured into a thieves’ trap by a beautiful dancer, Yasmin (Vilma Banky). After escaping, he kidnaps the damsel and holds her captive in his desert lair, dressing her in Arabian finery and threatening to unleash his violent passion upon her. Exotic romance saturates every frame of this Orientalist epic; its sadomasochistic fantasies are acted out against the lavish set design of William Cameron Menzies (The Thief of Bagdad) and lushly photographed by George Barnes (Sadie Thompson).

From a new restoration available for the first time on home video, and featuring a magnificent score by maestro Carl Davis, The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present George Fitzmaurice’s The Son of the Sheik on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK in a Special Dual Format edition.

“an outstanding success” – Variety

DUAL FORMAT SPECIAL FEATURES
– Presented in 1080p from a high-definition digital restoration, with a progressive encode on the DVD
– DTS-HD MA 5.1 and uncompressed 2.0 audio options on the Blu-ray
– Loitering Within Tent – A brand new video essay by David Cairns
– Introduction to the film by Orson Welles
– A collector’s booklet featuring a new essay by critic and film historian Pamela Hutchinson