Vintage original 8x10 in. US single-weight glossy photograph from the classic silent film drama/romance, THE SHEIK, released in 1921 by Paramount Pictures and directed by George Melford. Rudolph Valentino receives second billing (beneath Agnes Ayres) as a charming Arabian Sheik who becomes infatuated with an adventuress, modern-thinking Englishwoman and abducts her to him home in the Saharan Desert.

Printed for the film's 1938 US theatrical re-release by Paramount Pictures, the image features a dramatic scene as desert captive Lady Diana Mayo (Agnes Ayres) points a gun at her captor, Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan (Rudolph Valentino), while he reacts with interest by her confidence. It is in very fine- condition with some random very small scratches and a few circular pinpoint indentations that are not punctures. The image quality is razor-sharp with fine detail and beautiful contrast.

The Sheik is the film that catapulted Rudolph Valentino to silent film super-stardom and also coined an expression to refer to a man who was popular with the ladies (as numerous silent films referred to male characters as a "sheik." There was even a silent film starring Bebe Daniels entitled She's a Sheik).