Rotten
Arabesque packs the names of Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren and a foreign intrigue theme, but doesn't always progress on a true entertainment course.
Variety Staff, Variety
Arabesque
Ultra Mod. Ultra Mad. Ultra Mystery.
1966 · 1h 45m · Approved
Action, Comedy, Mystery, Thriller
Directed by
Stanley Donen
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Arabesque
Overview
When a plot against a prominent Middle Eastern politician is uncovered, David Pollock, a professor of ancient hieroglyphics at Oxford University, is recruited to help expose the scheme. Pollock must find information believed to be in hieroglyphic code and must also contend with a mysterious man called Beshraavi. Meanwhile, Beshraavi's lover, Yasmin Azir, seems willing to aid Pollock -- but is she really on his side?
Director and cast
- Stanley Donen Director
- Gregory Peck as Prof. David Pollock
- Sophia Loren as Yasmin Azir
- Alan Badel as Nejim Beshraavi
- Kieron Moore as Yussef Kasim
- Carl Duering as Prime Minister Hassan Jena
- John Merivale as Maj. Sylvester Pennington Sloane
- Duncan Lamont as Webster
- George Coulouris as Ragheeb
- Ernest Clark as Beauchamp
- Harold Kasket as Mohammed Lufti
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
78%
Tomatometer
Rotten
Much flashier than Donen's earlier Charade (also scripted by Peter Stone, alias Pierre Marton) and very sub-Hitchcock.
Tom Milne, Time Out
Fresh
About 10 minutes after Arabesque gets under way, you'll lose track of its plot completely, and that's as it should be.
Grace Glueck, New York Times
Fresh
It's a slick and satisfying entertainment.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Rotten
The cinematic busywork offers sporadic fun, but also suggests the unsteady posture of a show that always seems about to fall flat on its pretty face.
TIME Magazine
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