Arabesque (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Mar 21, 2025
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
Stanley DonenRelease Date(s)
1966 (March 4, 2025)Studio(s)
Universal Pictures (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)- Film/Program Grade: B
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B
Review
Because of Stanley Donen’s great success with 1963’s lightweight spy thriller Charade, he was tapped for Arabesque, a similar project to also be filmed in Europe and star two iconic personalities. Obvious similarities and borrowings from Donen’s earlier picture pervade Arabesque, but its two stars and frothy plot elevate the film into more than a routine spy caper.
David Pollock (Gregory Peck, To Kill a Mockingbird) is an unassuming visiting American lecturer on ancient languages at Oxford. His life shifts gears quickly when he’s abducted by Major Sloane (John Merivale, A Night to Remember) on behalf of shipping magnate Nejim Beshraavi (Alan Badel, The Day of the Jackal). Beshraavi makes Pollock an offer too good for the cash-strapped lecturer to refuse—$30,000 to decipher an Egyptian hieroglyphic inscribed on a small scrap of paper. This lucrative assignment will draw the mild-mannered scholar into dangerous international intrigue.
What Pollock doesn’t know is that the meaning of the hieroglyphic is essential to Beshraavi’s plot against Prime Minister Hassan Jena (Carl Duering, Darling Lili). He also doesn’t know that his mentor, Professor Ragheeb (George Coulouris, The Assassination Bureau), had been hiding the secret inscription and Sloane brutally murdered him to steal it. Pollock is set up at Beshraavi’s lush London townhouse to complete the translation while several scheming parties from the Middle East go to extremes to obtain the decoded message.
As Pollock is working, in walks Yasmin Azir (Sofia Loren, Houseboat), Beshraavi’s mistress, dressed in a sexy black negligee. Pollock is instantly taken by her beauty and soon finds himself hiding in her bathtub, fully clothed, as she showers to avoid Beshaavi’s jealous eyes. Yasmin learns that Pollock is being kept prisoner and will be killed once he deciphers the message, and she helps him escape. They soon find themselves being chased across London by the bad guys. Yet Yasmin’s loyalties are never clear, and Pollock is never sure whether she’s helping him or leading him into even greater danger. Nevertheless, he decides to trust her and prevent the prime minister’s assassination.
The film is all about Pollock’s and Yasmin’s attempt to elude dangerous people who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the cipher, and it’s their exploits that drive the narrative.
Arabesque is an escapist romp with dark moments. As in many of Alfred Hitchcock’s films, the hieroglyphic is merely the MacGuffin—the device that sets the plot in motion. Characters are murdered and the danger to both Pollock and Yasmin is real, but the stars manage to get several good quips out amid the mayhem. Because most of the film is an extended, high-stakes chase, there’s always a sense of urgency and Yasmin’s murky affiliation keeps the viewer guessing.
Loren is beautifully photographed. Through all the hectic chaos, she’s always impeccably attired in drop-dead gorgeous gowns and dresses by Christian Dior, and she wears some amazing hats. When she’s on screen, she commands it. There’s good chemistry between Loren and Peck, though in some scenes it appears strained. I kept thinking how much more engaging the film would have been if Cary Grant had played the role of Pollock. Peck always seems to be reaching for Grant’s light, effortless humor but falling short. He’s believable as an academic but a bit hard to accept when it comes to eluding professional killers and engaging in brutal fist fights (courtesy of Peck’s stuntman). A lot of the film stretches credibility, but it relishes its own stylization and Donen’s deft touch.
Arabesque is an entertaining ride with its dazzling use of color, interesting visuals, and brisk editing. The first-rate supporting cast helps to add an air of mystery to the proceedings. The British locations add considerable visual variety and include a racetrack, London streets, and a construction site. Donen makes surreal use of caged animals pacing and snarling in a deserted zoo at night. He knows how to balance lighter moments with darker ones to keep viewers entertained. Though shot in Europe, this is very much a Hollywood film, relying on two charismatic stars to front an energetic plot.
Arabesque on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics benefits from a new HD master by Universal Pictures from a 4K scan of the original camera negative. Kino previously released the film on Blu-ray in 2021, but since this release sports a new transfer, it’s no mere repressing. Shot by director of photography Christopher Challis on 35mm Technicolor film with Panavision cameras and lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1, Arabesque uses a vibrant color palette, from the swirling, multi-colored hues of the opening credits to Yasmin’s clothes. In one scene she’s wearing a red raincoat and driving a red sports car, suggesting danger. At various points, Challis distorts images through reflected images, double exposures (when Pollock is placed in a drug-induced state of mind), words flashed across a face in an optometrist’s office, and reflections from rain-soaked streets. A low-angle shot peers up through a glass table at Pollock, creating a disorienting feel. In a scene of Yasmin and Pollock walking down a spiral staircase, the camera films them through a crystal chandelier. The assorted filtered images contribute to the sense of mystery and the intentionally ambiguous nature of key characters. Like its 2021 Blu-ray predecessor, the new transfer is presented on a dual-layered BD-50 disc.
There are two soundtrack options: English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio. English SDH subtitles are an available option. Dialogue is clear and precise. With so many foreign characters, it’s surprising that no accents other than British can be heard. Sound effects include gun shots, a car’s engine, a concrete wrecking block destroying walls and clutter in a warehouse, screams, horses galloping, and an aquarium’s fish tank breaking with huge amounts of water flooding out. Henry Mancini’s suspenseful score nicely accompanies the film, with exciting, fast-paced themes for the action scenes and quieter, more sensual music for Yasmin’s early scenes.
The Region A Blu-ray release of Arabesque from Kino Lorber Studio Classics features a double-sided insert, featuring the US theatrical poster artwork on the front (as well as the slipcover) and the Italian theatrical poster artwork on the reverse. The following bonus materials are included:
- Audio Commentary by Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson
- Music by Mancini (HD – 9:33)
- Poster Gallery (HD – 15 in all – 2:31)
- TV Spots (HD – 5 in all – 1:52)
- Television Trailer (HD – 1:05)
- Teaser (HD – 1:23)
- Trailer (HD – 3:30)
- Mirage Trailer (SD – 2:12)
- The Secret Ways Trailer (HD – 1:05)
- The Counterfeit Traitor Trailer (HD – 3:23)
- The Manchurian Candidate Trailer (HD – 1:53)
- The Ipcress File Trailer (HD – 3:07)
- Topkapi Trailer (HD – 3:50)
- A Lovely Way to Die Trailer (HD – 2:25)
- The President’s Analyst Trailer (SD – 3:38)
- A Dandy in Aspic Trailer (HD – :58)
- Impasse Trailer (HD – 2:16)
Audio Commentary – Referred to by film historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson as a “wonderful little thriller,” Arabesque was put together by a “dream team.” Universal had a big hit with Charade and hoped Arabesque would result in a similar box office bonanza. The opening titles by Maurice Binder involve swirls of vibrant color and are distinctive. The opening scene makes no sense but sets the tone for the entire film. Director Stanley Donen knows how to “bend to the genre” with his own touches, making a Hollywood picture in the European style. The norms and rules of the spy thriller are relaxed. Action spy dramas had a ready audience with the James Bond films setting the style for the entirety of the 1960s. Several comparisons are made between Charade and Arabesque, but the commentators agree that Arabesque has a look of its own. The film is dark with a light veneer. Identities shift. The film’s durability is due to its script, even though there’s plenty of Hollywood glamour. The script alone cost $400,000. Money was not an issue and Donen was free to realize his vision. All of the characters are complex. Donen deals with visual transformations in character. “Donen never moves backward;” he reinvents himself with every film. “Logic is thrown to cinema’s wind.” Arabesque is an efficient thriller influenced by art, as evidenced by the use of color, lighting, and framing.
Music by Mancini – Leonard Feather narrates this short and interviews composer Henry Mancini, the “most popular name in film music today.” Mancini demonstrates the autoharp and bass flute, instruments used in a key sequence in Arabesque, and a brief scene from the sequence is shown. Mancini speaks about his music education and the characters in Arabesque. The aquarium and dinner scenes are shown as Mancini explains why he composed music for them. He also notes that sometimes a scene plays better without music. For films, Mancini usually composes a main theme and separate themes for major characters, as he did for Yasmin. For the racetrack scene, he wanted the music to be British in style. The zoo scene is shown with and without music to illustrate its importance in enhancing drama.
Arabesque is a Charade wannabe that tries very hard to duplicate the magic of Stanley Donen’s earlier success. Arabesque was a box office hit, but the absence of Cary Grant as the lead can be felt with Gregory Peck’s awkward delivery of lines that would have been perfect coming from Grant. In any case, Sophia Loren turns in a solid performance in a film filled with twists and turns, and offers considerable eye candy in the process. This romantic thriller has some memorable moments and nicely staged action. If the plot doesn’t completely satisfy, Ms. Loren more than makes up for its shortcomings.
- Dennis Seuling