Arabesque (1966)

"What you need now is someone with a PhD in Roughhouse."

Three years on the heels of Stanley Donen's delightful Charade comes his do-over effort Arabesque, a romantic spy thriller set in London. The leading man is Gregory Peck, who plays American David Pollock, a visiting professor of ancient languages who is persuaded by the Arab prime minister to infiltrate the household of a Middle Eastern oil tycoon, who is suspected of nefarious doings. This soon catapults him into the Hitchcockian world of deadly secret agents, spy intrigue, frantic chases and a mysterious cryptogram. He finds himself dubiously partnered with Yasmin Azir, the enigmatic mistress of the oil tycoon, as delectably played by exotic, statuesque beauty Sophia Loren. While questioning the ever shifting allegiance of Yasmin, Pollock must fend off international spies and foil an assassination attempt.

Peck valiantly steps into Cary Grant territory and does an adequate job, although one wonders how the supremely classy Cary Grant (who originally was intended to be the lead) might have fared in the David Pollock role. It's effortless for Peck when the role calls for him to be strong and silent. But here, the role of Pollock requires an actor with a light, urbane touch and a breezy, nonchalant way of conveying clever lines. Unfortunately, there's a level of discomfort present in Peck's measured delivery; Peck sometimes has a tendency to channel wood in his acting ventures. Still, Peck comes with enough gameness and enthusiasm for the part that, in the end, he somewhat pulls it off. Sophia Loren as the switch hitting femme fatale (which side is she really on?) is a definite plus. The shower scene, by the way, is a treat.

Director Stanley Donen felt immense pressure from the studio moguls to repeat the great success of Charade. Cary Grant turned down the role of Pollock because he had had enough of portraying the elderly romancer of women many decades his junior. Grant instead suggested his good buddy Greg Peck. The screenplay is questionable, having gone through numerous revisions. To quote Stanley Donen: "We have to make it so interesting visually that no one will think about it." Accordingly, Donen stylishly directs Arabesque (some very odd camera angles chosen here, and some of the hallucinatory sequences are just plain weird); the film is assisted by Henry Mancini's typically jazzy-cool score (another Charade tie-in).

So, more style than grace, more pop art fluff than substance - still, Donen and the two glamorous stars are more than enough to hold the film together. One of these days, Arabesque will be released in dvd format and, while it may not be Charade, it's still a pretty good sophisticated romantic thriller worthy of being added to anyone's personal collection.
August 5, 2006

Amusing

This film is very amusing. In fact it is one of my preferred ones.

Frankly, I do not understand why it is not in DVD format!!

The phtography is funny, with several non conventional angles (for example a bathroom seen from above).

Stanley Donen has done an excellent work. February 13, 2006

One of Gregory Peck's best..

and yet, this SUPERB film isn't on DVD! ARGH!!!!
David Pollock (Gregory Peck) is an expert in ancient Arabic hieroglyphics. 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 (Sophia 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. Ultimately working together, Pollock and Yasmin decipher the plot and set out to stop an assassination of the Prime Minister.

[...] January 17, 2005

Stylish and Entertaining, Even with Flaws

Though not as strong as Stanley Donen's earlier Hitchcockian pastiche, "Charade," "Arabesque" has enough going for it to merit repeat viewings--and release some day on DVD! Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren prove that true movie stars can overcome sometimes plodding pacing and creaky scripts to make two imperfect cinematic hours enjoyable. Here, Peck endures threats, chases, doublecrosses, and blows to the head with Cary Grant-ish aplomb (no surprise, as the script was originally written with him in mind). He's matched ably by Sophia Loren, who in addition to looking absolutely gorgeous, seems genuinely to be having fun. The plot involves Peck, an Oxford professor and cipher expert, being pulled into spy goings-on between Middle Eastern factions in England. Like "Charade," it's unclear until the end who is really working for whom, but that really isn't important anyway, as the script is often needlessly murky and sometimes too dry for what is essentially a light comedy-thriller. Alan Badel, though, is terrific as the Cobra-like villain, and the production is sumptuous, from Maurice Binder's stunning opening and closing sequences to Henry Mancini's suitably menacing but energentic score. Special recognition is deserved for the cinematography and Donen's direction, which in addition to being sparklingly beautiful, often reflect inventive photographic choices. Though "Arabesque" generally flies under the radar of today's moviegoers, fans of "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" might want to watch this film's assassination sequence, which to me bears remarkable, um, similarity to the one in the sci-fi flick. January 9, 2005

There was a European version of this film with some nudity..

I was 6 or 7 years old in the late 60s when I saw this film for the first time. It was one of those rare occasions when my Dad allowed me to stay up late on a Saturday night to watch a movie on one of our 3 local TV stations.

On this fateful evening, the film was (of course) Arabesque.

Fairly on into the film, there is a scene where Greory Peck and Sophia Loren are in a hotel room the morning after (the morning after what I leave to the reader's imagination). G.P.'s character is in a bathroom to the left of the bed, and can be seen through the open door (with his back to the camera) shaving. The ever-lovely Sophia Loren is in the bed facing the camera, with sheets pulled up to her neck (G.P. was wearing pajama bottoms and no shirt). She and G.P. are arguing about something.

Up this point, it was just a scene in the film. Suddenly, in the midst of the argument, Ms. Loren says something like:

"Well what do you want me to do?"

G.P. Turns around, walks toward the camera to come into the room with Sophia, grabs the sheet and pulls it down while saying "Go naked!", exposing Sophia's lovely boobs for all the world to see.

Being just a kid, it kinda blew my mind! It probably surprised my Dad as well. And back then, to show nudity was (and still is) verboten over the open airwaves in the US.

I said nothing. My Dad said nothing. And I have a pleasant memory of the first topless woman I had ever seen (that I remember) being Sophia Loren in this film.

Years later I mentioned it to my Dad. He did not remember that evening, but he kinda chuckled and said "Well, you know they are a lot more liberal about such things in Europe, and they probably sent a European version of the film to the TV station by accident..".

I still crack up just thinking about it, and I have a topless photo of Ms. Loren in a frame in my bedroom at home to remind me of that night.

I would certainly love to see a FULL and unedited version of the film just to relive that moment of childhood glory....
;-)
January 7, 2005

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