Arabesque
Directed by Stanley Donen, 1966
Staring Gregory Peck, Sophia Loren and Alan Badel
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This is a 1960's action thriller that takes place in England and revolves around oil, Middle Eastern political intrigue and attempted assignation.
David Pollock (Gregory Peck), a young American professor teaching ancient Middle Eastern languages at an English university, finds himself enmeshed in the middle of a deadly three way political struggle.
Pollock's mildly boring and safe university existence is suddenly interrupted when he is secretly approached by the prime minister of a Middle Eastern nation asking him to accept a request from a wealthy businessman from the same country named Beshraavi (played by Alan Badel) to translate a note written in an ancient Hittite hieroglyphic script that is in Beshraavi's possession. Pollock is then asked to report back to the prime minister about what Beshraavi and his company are up to with the note.
Pollock accepts the assignment and begins work on the translation in the spacious mansion occupied by Beshraavi in London. In the mansion he meets Yasmin Azir (played by Sophia Loren), Beshraavi's host/mistress. Yasmin at first appears to befriend Pollock by warning him of the danger he is in by working for Beshraavi. But as Pollock attempts to escape the mansion with Yasmin's help he is plunged into the middle of a three way murderous struggle between Beshraavi organization, a liberation organization seeking to overthrow the democratic government of the Middle Eastern nation's prime minister and the prime minister and his London embassy staff. Yasmin appears to be connected to all three antagonists and it is difficult to determine whose side she is on and whether she is a friend or foe to Pollock.
The review of this Movie prepared by Chuck Nugent
