Arabesque (film)
Encyclopedia
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
.
), 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.
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
and Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance...
. The movie is based on Gordon Cotler's novel The Cypher and directed by Stanley Donen
Stanley Donen
Stanley Donen ; is an American film director and choreographer whose most celebrated works are Singin' in the Rain and On the Town, both of which he co-directed with Gene Kelly. His other noteworthy films include Royal Wedding, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Funny Face, Indiscreet, Damn...
.
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 BadelAlan Badel
Alan Fernand Badel was a distinguished English stage actor who also appeared frequently in the cinema, radio and television and was noted for his richly textured voice which was once described as "the sound of tears".-Early life:...
), 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 PeckGregory PeckEldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
— Prof. David Pollock - Sophia LorenSophia LorenSophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance...
— Yasmin Azir - Alan BadelAlan BadelAlan Fernand Badel was a distinguished English stage actor who also appeared frequently in the cinema, radio and television and was noted for his richly textured voice which was once described as "the sound of tears".-Early life:...
— Beshraavi - Kieron MooreKieron MooreKieron Moore was an Irish film and television actor whose career was at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s...
— Yussef Kasim - Carl Duering — Hassan Jena
- John MerivaleJohn MerivaleJohn Herman Merivale , also known as Jack Merivale, was a British theatre actor, and occasional supporting player in British films.-Biography:...
— Maj. Sylvester Pennington Sloane - Duncan LamontDuncan LamontDuncan William Ferguson Lamont was a British actor. Born in Lisbon, Portugal, but brought up in Scotland, he had a long and successful career in film and television, appearing in a variety of high-profile productions....
— Webster - George CoulourisGeorge CoulourisGeorge Coulouris was a prominent English film and stage actor.-Early life:Coulouris was born in Manchester, England, the son of Abigail and Nicholas Coulouris, a merchant of Greek origin. He was brought up both in Manchester and nearby Urmston and was educated at Manchester Grammar School...
— Ragheeb - Ernest ClarkErnest ClarkErnest Clark was a British actor of stage, television and film.-Early life:Clark was the son of a master builder in Maida Vale, and was educated nearby at St Marylebone Grammar School. After leaving school he became a reporter on a local newspaper in Croydon...
— Beauchamp - Harold KasketHarold KasketHarold Kasket, was a British actor in films and later TV from the 1940s. Kasket usually played Arabs or mainland European types in many films and TV programmes such as Maigret, The Saint, Danger Man, Z-Cars, Department S and The Tomorrow People. His last role was in the TV mini series War and...
— 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 230SLMercedes-Benz W113The Mercedes-Benz W 113 roadsters, designed by Paul Bracq, were produced from 1963 through 1971. Their distinctive "pagoda" hardtop roof, designed by Béla Barényi, gave them their contemporary nickname...
, Sophia Loren character's car in the movie.