Cinema Retro has received the following press release:
Originally released in 1921 at the height of the nation’s appetite
for motion pictures, the epic romantic drama THE SHEIK became a
massive sensation, breaking box office records and earning over $1 million
during its first year of release. 100 years later, Paramount Pictures
celebrates this towering classic of the silent film era with a brand-new
Blu-ray release, arriving as part of the Paramount Presents line on October 19,
2021.
Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, THE SHEIK
was directed by George Melford and stars the legendary Rudolph Valentino as the
title character. The role helped propel Valentino into stardom and sealed
his status as a Hollywood heartthrob—and the original “Latin Loverâ€â€”at the age
of 26.
THE SHEIK restoration employed modern technology so
viewers can experience the original beauty of this monumental silent
film. Since
original negatives for silent films rarely exist, Paramount searched the world
for the best elements and used a print and an intermediate element called a
fine grain. One source of the film yielded better results for image
quality, another for intertitles. One of the elements was
“stretch-printed†and had to be adjusted digitally during the restoration
process. In the silent era there was no standard frame rate, so stretch
printing was done to show silent films at 24 frames per second. In
addition, tints and tones were digitally applied, guided by an original
continuity script from the Paramount archive. The result is the best
picture quality THE SHEIK has had since it was originally shown
in theaters 100 years ago.
While THE SHEIK was wildly successful, it did
provoke controversy, much as the source material had upon its original
publication in 1919. Many of the themes and controversial elements of the
film are still being grappled with today, a subject that is explored in a new
featurette on the Blu-ray with film historian and professor Leslie Midkiff
DeBauche entitled “Desert Heat: 100 Years with The
Sheik.†The disc also includes a music score
by Roger Bellon and access to a Digital copy of the film.
As with all films released in the
Paramount Presents line, THE SHEIK is presented with collectible
packaging featuring a foldout image of the film’s theatrical poster and an
interior spread with key movie moments.
Synopsis
Rudolph Valentino is Ahmed Ben
Hassan, a charming Arabian sheik who becomes infatuated with the adventurous,
modern-thinking Englishwoman Lady Diana Mayo, played by Agnes Ayres. When
the sheik abducts Lady Diana, the two clash, but ultimately profess their love
for one another in this quintessential “desert romance†that effectively
capitalized on the popularity of the genre.
About Paramount
Presents
This collectible line spans
celebrated classics to film-lover favorites, each from the studio’s renowned
library. Every Paramount Presents release features never-before-seen
bonus content and exclusive collectible packaging. Additional titles
available in the Paramount Presents collection on Blu-ray include: Fatal
Attraction, King Creole, To Catch a Thief, Flashdance,
Days of Thunder, Pretty In Pink, Airplane!, Ghost,
Roman Holiday, The Haunting, The Golden Child, Trading Places, The Court
Jester, Love Story, Elizabethtown, The Greatest Show on Earth, Mommie Dearest, Last Train From Gun Hill, 48 HRS., Another 48 HRS., Almost Famous, A Place
in the Sun, Nashville, Bugsy Malone, and Breakdown.
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