Arabesque (1966)

Story of international intrigue involving a university professor, an Arab prime minister, a ruthless businessman, a beautiful spy, and hieroglyphics.

Director:

Stanley Donen

Writers:

Julian Mitchell (screenplay), Stanley Price (screenplay)

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Sophia Loren, Alan Badel

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

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

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 beautiful mystery who becomes intertwined in the plot. Pollock needs her help, but she repeatedly double crosses him in one escapade after another, he can't decide on who she is working for. Ultimately working together, Pollock and Yasmin decipher the message and set out to stop an assassination of the Prime Minister.

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Plot Keywords:

london england | hitchcockian | arab | cipher | professor | 

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Taglines:

Ultra mod, ultra mad, ultra mystery

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Rolls Royce Phantom IV was one of only eighteen ever made. It had previously belonged to Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, son of King George V.

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Goofs

The Arab character Beshraavi mispronounces the name Mustafa. An Arab educated in English would still say Arab names in their original pronunciation.

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Quotes

Yasmin Azir: It's not safe for you to be out on the streets! What if the police stop us?
David Pollock: The way you drive, why should they stop us?
Yasmin Azir: Alright, David, I'll look for a Phone Box.
David Pollock: I'll look! That way, maybe we can keep from hitting it.

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Alternate Versions

For the UK theatrical release, the BBFC removed a few seconds of the drowning in the aquarium and the sight of a man being bloodily shot in the face in order to obtain an 'A' rating (the equivalent of today's 'PG'). All later releases have been uncut and rated '12'.

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Connections

Featured in American Masters: A Conversation with Gregory Peck (1999)

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Soundtracks

We've Loved Before (Yasmin's Theme)
Written by Henry Mancini, Jay Livingston and Ray Evans
Conducted by Henry Mancini

User Reviews

Entertaining Romantic Thriller

This movie is reminiscent of Charade in that it is a thriller that is lighthearted in places. Highlights of Arabesque are Gregory Peck playing the somewhat bumbling type, Sophia Loren's exotic beauty, and some memorable humorous situations like Pollack hiding in the shower with Jasmin while being questioned and later the two of them trailing the guy who drops the candy wrappers. The ending action sequence with the press conference, the horse chase, and the helicopter were also well done. All in all, very good entertainment, 7/10.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 August 1966 (France)

Also Known As:

Stanley Donen's Arabesque

Filming Locations:

Hurley, Berkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$4,800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Stanley Donen Films, Stanley Donen Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1