Story of international intrigue involving a university professor, an Arab prime minister, a ruthless businessman, a beautiful spy, and hieroglyphics.
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Title: Arabesque (1966)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Gregory Peck | ... | Prof. David Pollock | |
| Sophia Loren | ... | Yasmin Azir | |
| Alan Badel | ... | Beshraavi | |
| Kieron Moore | ... | Yussef Kasim | |
| Carl Duering | ... | Hassan Jena | |
 |
John Merivale | ... | Maj. Sylvester Pennington Sloane |
| Duncan Lamont | ... | Webster | |
| George Coulouris | ... | Ragheeb | |
| Ernest Clark | ... | Beauchamp | |
|
|
Harold Kasket | ... | Mohammed Lufti |
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Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Professor David Pollock is an expert in ancient Arabic hieroglyphics. A Middle Eastern Prime Minister convinces Pollock to infiltrate the organization of a man named Beshraavi, who is involved in a plot against the Prime Minister. The nature of the plot is believed to be found in a hieroglyphic code. Beshraavi's mistress, Yasmin Azir is a mystery intertwined in the plot. Pollock needs her help, but when she repeatedly seems to double cross him in one escapade after another, he can't decide on whose side she is working. Ultimately working together, Pollock and Yasmin decipher the plot and set out to stop an assassination of the Prime Minister. Written by E.W. DesMarais <jlongst@aol.com>
Taglines:
Ultra mod, ultra mad, ultra mystery See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
18 August 1966 (France) See more »Also Known As:
Stanley Donen's Arabesque See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$4,800,000 (estimated)Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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David Pollock: The result of a clean mind and a healthy body.
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Gregory Peck found the stunts particularly difficult because of an old leg injury due to horseback riding. So during the cornstalk scene Peck had to keep telling Sophia Loren to slow down because it looked as if she were rescuing him and not the other way around. See more »Goofs
The hieroglyphic script in the code is mislabeled as "Hittite" by the main character. Hieroglyphs such as those shown on screen were indeed called Hittite for some time in scholarly studies, until the language they encode was proved to be Luwian (a close relative to Hittite. although a different language). Hittite language was written in cuneiform script, and there is no proved link between said script and Luwian hieroglyphs. See more »Quotes
Yasmin Azir: The candy! You are brilliant!David Pollock: The result of a clean mind and a healthy body.
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If I had the impossible task of naming one film as "My Favorite Most Enjoyable Movie" this and it's bookend, "Charade," would be it.
It is Stanley Donen's near perfect blend of Alfred Hitchcock meets James Bond. Donen made two simply wonderful films in the Hitchcock mold. The first was Charade in 1963 with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Arabesque is the second. They make a marvelous bookend set.
Both films are light, breezy and loaded with wit and humorous dialog. Both feature classic Henry Mancini scores, stylish female ward-robing by the likes of Givenchy and Christian Dior and both feature memorable titles by 007's legendary title master, Maurice Binder.
But it's Arabesque's wildly inventive cinematography which sets it apart from virtually every other action film. The cinematography is pure art school. It's amazingly inventive use of reflection and shot within a shot camera work is what first interested me in the art of cinematography as a teenager. The cinematography in Arabesque fascinates me and entertains me no end to this day.
Gregory Peck's square yet hip college professor plays perfectly with Sophia Loren's chic spy - and Sophia was never more flat-out stunning. Wow! Check out Arabesque. It's two hours of great fun.