THE SON OF THE SHEIK (100TH ANNIVERSARY) W/ LIVE MUSICAL SCORE

AUGUST 27

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. Valentino was an absolute star, the Brad Pitt of his era. See his most celebrated adventure transported to our historic cinema screen on the centennial of its first showing in this very theater. Just as you would experience 100 years ago, Son Of The Sheik will screen accompanied by a live musical score performed in real time by Jeff Rapsis on synth-piano.

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).

The Son Of The Sheik has been restored to the exotic grandeur of its celluloid past, and looks stunning on our big screen. Jeff Rapsis is an accomplished and much celebrated musical accompanist for movies, as well as an expert on the era of Silent films. Jeff will introduce the film and host an audience Q&A afterward.