Arabesque
AMG AllMovie Guide:
Top
Arabesque
Plot
An expert in ancient hieroglyphics unexpectedly finds himself involved in a web of international intrigue in this chic, enjoyably tongue-in-cheek espionage adventure. Gregory Peck stars as David Pollock, an American professor whose predictable academic routine is overturned when he is hired to help translate a mysterious message written in an obscure ancient text. The real trouble begins, however, when everyone from a wealthy oil magnate to a foreign government to brutal criminals starts to chase Pollock, desperate to discover the nature of the deciphered message. Along for the ride is Yasmin Azir (Sophia Loren), the gorgeous lover of Pollock's employers, whose loyalties are questionable, to say the least. The tangled narrative proves less important than the film's stylish surface, from the colorful London locations to the Henry Mancini score. Certain touches date the film, like a brief foray into psychedelia, but the modish visuals are generally an appropriate match to the insouciant tone. Not taking itself seriously enough to be truly thrilling, Arabesque nevertheless stands as a witty, well-made example of a particular breed of airy, intentionally superficial comic adventure. ~ Judd Blaise, RoviCast
- Gregory Peck - David Pollock
- Sophia Loren - Yasmin Azir
- Alan Badel - Nejim Beshraavi
- Kieron Moore - Yussef Kassim
- Carl Duering - Hassan Jena
Credit
Reece Pemberton - Art Director, Stanley Donen - Director, Frederick Wilson - Editor, Henry Mancini - Composer (Music Score), Christopher G. Challis - Cinematographer, Stanley Donen - Producer, Vic Armstrong - Stunts, Julian Mitchell - Screenwriter, Peter Stone - Screenwriter, Pierre Marton - Screenwriter, Stanley Price - Screenwriter, Gordon Cotler - Book Author| Arabesk (1989 Film), Arabella, l'Angela Nero (1989 Film) | |
| Arabesque for Kenneth Anger (1961 Film), Arabia (1922 Film) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Top
Arabesque (film)
| Arabesque | |
|---|---|
 movie poster by Robert McGinnis |
|
| Directed by | Stanley Donen |
| Produced by | Stanley Donen Denis Holt |
| Written by | Julian Mitchell Stanley Price<br/ |
| Starring | Gregory Peck Sophia Loren Alan Badel John Merivale Harold Kasket |
| Music by | Henry Mancini |
| Cinematography | Christopher Challis |
| Editing by | Frederick Wilson |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | May 5, 1966 (US) July 28 (UK) |
| Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | U.S.A. |
| Language | English |
Arabesque is a 1966 thriller starring Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren. The movie is based on Gordon Cotler's novel The Cypher and directed by Stanley Donen.
|
Contents
|
Plot
Professor David Pollock (Peck) is an expert in ancient hieroglyphics at Oxford University. A Middle Eastern Prime Minister convinces Pollock to infiltrate the organization of a man named Beshraavi (Alan Badel), 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 (Loren) 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. Eventually working together, Pollock and Yasmin decipher the plot and set out to stop an assassination of the Prime Minister. Ultimately they succeed, but the heroes are later pursued onto a high railway bridge by the vengeful villains who shoot at them from a helicopter, which Pollock eventually defeats by dropping a metal ladder down into the rotors as it passes underneath the bridge.
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
See also
- Crumlin, Caerphilly, the location at which the railway bridge action scene was filmed on the historic Viaduct, which was being dismantled at the time.
- Mercedes-Benz 230SL, Sophia Loren character's car in the movie.
References
External links
- Arabesque at the Internet Movie Database
- Arabesque at AllRovi
|
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
This article about a thriller film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
TV listings
Copyright © 2012 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Movie Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.
Read more
