AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

TheLittleSongbird Love thriller with a touch of comedy and have a lot of respect for Gregory Peck, Alan Badel, Sophia Loren, Stanley Donen and Henry Mancini. Plus the comparisons to 'Charade', a wonderful film and the very definition of the distinction "The Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never made". So 'Arabesque' had a lot going for it.Getting the inevitable and often made comparisons to 'Charade', and any made out to Hitchcock (such as 'North By Northwest') quickly out of the way, 'Charade' is the much better film. Neither is 'Arabesque' in the same league with Hitchcock at his best, like 'North By Northwest' is. Donen has also done better, with 'Charade' being one of them. With that being said, 'Arabesque' to me was a good enjoyable film in its own right, with lots to admire but it is not hard to see why it won't be everybody's cup of tea.'Arabesque' could have been better. As good an actor Peck was, amazing at his best (like his performance for the ages as Atticus Finch in 'To King a Mockingbird'), he is completely out of his depth in this film. 'Roman Holiday' showed that he could handle comedy and romance well, but here he looks continually puzzled and is at his most uncomfortable looking since 'The Parradine Case', lacking the suavity, smoothness and urbane charm needed, things that, as much as it is regrettable that it's being said, Cary Grant would have pulled off perfectly (being the king of that acting style).Story-wise, 'Arabesque' is intriguing and entertaining, but it is also over-convoluted with parts not feeling explored enough. There are too a few nonsensical scenes (like the fainting guard) that seemed to be an indication of parts being written or re-written in a rush. Kieron Moore's dialogue jars a little bit somewhat.However, 'Arabesque' looks a dream, late 60s Technicolor has rarely looked this incredible. Have not seen cinematography this inventive in a long time, while the colours dazzle and the settings and costumes define glamorous to a tee. Henry Mancini's music score is typically luscious and jaunty in Mancini's own unmistakable way. Donen directs at a good pace.The script crackles in wit and sophistication while the story has enough entertainment value, tense suspense and intrigue to stick with it. Thanks to some memorable scenes, especially the incredibly clever opening titles sequence, the shower scene and the truly exciting climax.Excepting Peck, the performances are very good. Sophia Loren has never looked more stunning or been this classy, while Alan Badel is oily menace incarnate. Moore is fun in his role despite some jarring dialogue.Overall, good glamorous fun but with such amazing ingredients and assets it had the makings of a great film. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Charles Herold (cherold) Arabesque is a very '60s movie that tries to be both a suspense film and a spy spoof, but doesn't entirely succeed at either.Director Stanley Donen knew Arabesque's story didn't make a lick of sense (seriously, this is not so much a story full of holes as it is a hole with some story sprinkled in it), so he went for razzle dazzle. The memorable opening scene is heavily influenced by German Expressionism, the scene in the zoo has a Wellesian quality, and the influence of Hitchcock pops up periodically.In the beginning this works pretty well. But all the most notable scenes, like zoo chase or the silly shower sequence, happen in the first half. After that, the movie is a series of unlikely plot twists, general confusion, and Sophia Loren wardrobe changes. And at the end, any attempt to make sense of the story will only cause you to realize it makes even less sense than you thought.Even at it's best, this is a pretty cheesy movie. But if it had managed to stay at that cheesy best all the way through, it would have been a far more enjoyable one.

SnoopyStyle Professor David Pollock (Gregory Peck) is an ancient hieroglyphics expert. There is a plot against a Middle Eastern Prime Minister Hassan Jena. Wealthy Beshraavi (Alan Badel) wants Pollock's help but he rejects him at first. However Jena convinces Pollock to infiltrate Beshraavi's organization to uncover the plot. Beshraavi hires him to translate a piece of hieroglyphic code which another professor was killed for. Beshraavi seems to threaten Pollock. Beshraavi's mistress Yasmin Azir (Sophia Loren) is a mysterious figure who seems to have ulterior motives. This is all style over substance. Pollock jumps right in without much deliberations. He is way too clueless. The story is questionable at best. It is trying very hard to be stylish. I have to say that it is cool to have Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren together. However it is trying so hard. Beshraavi is basically a Bond villain. It is more comedy than thrilling. If not for the two stars, this would be an unwatchable mess.

ringfire211 After the success of CHARADE in 1963 Stanley Donen followed it up with another romantic comedy/spy caper called ARABESQUE. And I really enjoyed it. OK, so it's not quite as good or as witty as CHARADE (which I gave a 9/10) but it's a very solid follow-up. Some of the camera angles/tricks in this one (courtesy of cinematographer Christopher Challis - who also shot A SHOT IN THE DARK) are simply amazing!!! They give the film a certain psychedelic feel/quality to it which is very reflective of the times - mid-to-late 60s. Plus the score is by the great Henry Mancini. And Maurice Binder (who did the titles for the Bond films) does the title sequence here. Both Mancini and Binder also worked on CHARADE. And I gotta say that you'll never see a hotter Sophia Loren than in this flick. It's impossible for a woman to look any hotter than Sophia in this one!! That alone is reason enough for checking this movie out! It was also fairly interesting to see the typically no-nonsense Gregory Peck in a comedy role but I thought he handled himself quite well here. He obviously wasn't as good as Cary Grant was in CHARADE (Grant is a natural with this material) but he was better than I would have imagined him to be. Plus I really enjoyed Alan Badel as the villain - he has a falcon for a pet/weapon. He really looked like Peter Sellers for some reason. Oh and it has a creepy opening at the eye doctor's office. I won't spoil it for anyone. Let's just say that I will definitely think of this film the next time I go to see the eye doctor. It's as unsettling as the dentist scene in MARATHON MAN.