The Son of the Sheik (United Artists, 1926). French Double Grande (63" X 94.5").. ...

Description

The Son of the Sheik (United Artists, 1926). French Double Grande (63" X 94.5").
In his very last film before his premature death at the age of thirty-one, silent screen heartthrob Rudolph Valentino gave one of his best performances. He was cast in two roles, that of the older sheik and his son Ahmed, and the film was a vast improvement over the original The Sheik, filmed in 1922. While the window and lobby card formats and photos occasionally turn up from the original release, nothing as remarkable as the incredible French double grande in this lot has surfaced. The work of French artist Armengol (also credited with the French release poster for Charlie Chaplin's City of Lights, 1931), the poster depicts the dashing Valentino (Ahmed) absconding on horseback with dazzling dancing girl Yasmin (Vilma Banky). He glances furtively over his shoulder as a band of her thieving father's henchmen give chase. Although the backdrop has a distinctive Middle Eastern appearance, the picture was actually filmed in the deserts near Yuma, Arizona. Conditions were so intolerable that almost the entire cast and crew fell seriously ill. Fine drawing and soft colors enhance the romantic feel of the piece, which has been restored to address tears in the bottom border/title, chips along the folds, in the background, and in Banky's face and hand. Fine/Very Fine on Linen.

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