Leofwine_draca ARABESQUE is Stanley Donen's follow-up to his own CHARADE, which was a breezy spy comedy featuring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. This one feels very much like CHARADE, and merely recasts the central roles in the form of Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren. Peck pays a professor working at a British university who is tasked with deciphering some hieroglyphics only to be drawn into a plot involving a ruthless mastermind who commits murder to further his aims.Peck has always been one of my very favourite stars and he's a delight here as a slightly buffoonish character. He's very much in the Grant mould, but without the slight air of smugness that Grant sometimes has. And Sophia Loren, as his rival/love interest, is simply stunning and outdoes Hepburn with ease. The plot is fast-paced and consistently funny, mixing up the tropes ably and delivering some great and unique set-pieces; the shower scene in particular manages to be racy, risqué, endearing, and very, very humorous. Only a few scenes, like the bit where Peck is drunk on truth serum, fall foul. Yes, ARABESQUE is dated, but endearingly so, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

wmacl Definitely not Peck's best effort. A potentially interesting idea that is let down by some poor acting, inane dialogue and some ham-fisted editing, most noticeable in action sequences i.e. when someone is struck, etc. Loren is quite beautiful but appears to be running on autopilot. Compared to To Kill a Mockingbird, Peck's acting doesn't find its feet and he appears unsure of whether to be serious or play it for laughs; all in all an uncomfortable performance. Both principals have done better. Some minor characters are quite annoying though probably because of the inanities of the script. Easily eclipsed by some telemovies of the period. Camera work is typical of the era but nowhere near as arty as The Thomas Crown Affair. Forget it. It comes across like one of those eastern European flicks where they blew the budget (such as it was) on the principal actors and had nothing left over to refine the script or hire better supporters. Watch Charade instead.

LeonLouisRicci An Odd Title draws attention to this bit of Fluff from Director Stanley Donen as He Followed Up the Enormous Success of the Similar "Charade" (1964), this time it's Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren.1966 was a Time of Hollywood in Flux being Swept up in Cultural and Political Turmoil. "The Times They Were a Changin" and hardly Anyone or Anything was Untouched. The Studio System and the Star System was No Exception. Perhaps Embodying the entrenched Old School, Peck and Loren Deliver what was Expected. Charm and Class.Putting People in Seats as They Tended, both were Professionals. Peck Shows a bit of Strain in the Comedy Bits but does manage to Pull it Off. Loren's Acting Ability matched Her Stunning Glamour and She Fares somewhat Better.Director Donen Experiments Wildly here and there with Psychedelic Visuals and Montage and that is a Good Thing because it Adds some Flare to the Convoluted Plot. Drawing Inspiration from Hitchcock, James Bond, and His Own "Charade", Donen was a Good enough Artist to make most of it Fanciful and Fresh but some of the Stale Parts are Unwelcome.It's Heady at times and Not All of the Wise Cracking Works, but like the Film as a whole, there is Enough to Enjoy to keep it from Failing if Not all together Succeeding Either. Worth a Watch for Fans of the Stars and a Look-See at Old Hollywood testing the New Pop-Culture with Mixed Results.

Armand is it good ? is it bad ? really, I do not know. the presence of Sophia Loren and Gregory Peck, precise pieces from Hitchcock style, the romance crumbs and the ball of adventures does a not boring result. sure, it can be version for Charade or soft Bond slice but, in fact, it remains itself. charming, not always credible, a little crazy, with few nice exotic drops, chain of masks and noble feelings, smart and ironic, pink and serious, authentic show from good times. it is a kind of meeting with an old friend. a delight and entertainment like cherry jam from a lost age. so, final verdict - it is really inspired story. is it enough ?