Every studio is chasing the success of their previous hit film. This is just as true of the past as it is today. When director Stanley Donen (Singin’ In The Rain, Damn Yankees) made a decent chunk of change for Universal Pictures with his 1963 romantic comedy mystery Charade, it was practically no time at all before they requested Donen churn out something similar for his follow-up. The director hoped he could get star Cary Grant to work with him once again, but the script was not up to his standards and even Donen himself did not feel like he should do it until Gregory Peck (The Yearling) and Sophia Loren (Marriage Italian Style) came on board. The film would come to be known as Arabesque, and it was not quite the hit that Universal had hoped it would be. The film lacks the sizzle of his previous effort, but there is still quite a bit to admire in this lavish, messy comedic espionage tale.

Peck plays Professor David Pollock, an expert in ancient Arabic hieroglyphics at Oxford University who gets recruited by Middle Eastern Prime Minister (intentionally nondescript) Hassan Jena (Carl Duering) to decode a secret message. What Pollock does not initially know is that his predecessor Professor Ragheeb (George Coulouris) was killed for this message and he might not be in much better shape by the time everything is said and done. Pollock reluctantly agrees to this offer of meeting with wealthy shipping magnate Nejim Beshraavi (Alan Badel) to decode the message, but upon arrival at the mansion, he catches the eye of his beautiful girlfriend, Yasmin Azir (Sophia Loren), who tips him off that he will be killed after decoding the message. After a series of close calls and titillating situations, the two find themselves on the run with the cipher and multiple parties in pursuit. What follows is an adventure filled with multiple double-and-triple-crosses, uncertain loyalties, multiple dead bodies and so much more that ensures the story feels overstuffed.

The main drawback of this film is the aforementioned messy script. It caused Cary Grant to not want to be involved, and apparently, it got a little worse every time someone attempted a rewrite. There are so many conflicting ideas and genre cliches that attempt to meld together seamlessly but rarely reach that goal. The plot feels overly convoluted considering the more lighthearted romp it is ultimately trying to be. Yet, the film works somewhat thanks to the inherent charm of Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren. The actual dialogue they are saddled with does them no favors, but they have an effortless magnetism when they are on screen that makes you want to pay attention. The film feels most at home when the two stars are exchanging playful banter while in sumptuous locales and decked out in stylish costumes. The focal mystery of the cipher plays out well enough, but your enjoyment of the movie never hinges on it. Although, some enjoyment may be taken away by the portrayals of Arabs in this film along with the brownface applied to white actors to bring them to life. Older films were notoriously bad in this respect.

The other standout aspect of this film is the impeccable direction from Stanley Donen in a visual sense. The way in which he innovated with the camera moving seamlessly around the set was very impressive. His eye for composition within each scene reveals his background in choreography. This does help elevate the thrill level of certain sequences such as the one in which a wrecking ball is used as a weapon. The technical elements of the film are flawless; Henry Mancini (The Pink Panther) provides the perfect soundtrack for the film with his curious score, and the production and costume designers deserved a raise after making every frame look so beautiful. The movie looks great and the performances are really strong, but the film lacks a sense of substance that would allow it to rise to the status of a classic spy adventure. The movie is a pretty fun time, but with a little more care given to developing the secondary characters and fine-tuning the dialogue this film could have been something special.

Video Quality

Arabesque debuts on 4K UHD Blu-Ray courtesy of Kino Classics with a 2160p SDR transfer derived from a 4K scan of the Original Camera Negative conducted by Universal. The previous Blu-Ray from Kino Classics released in 2021 was derived from an older master that had been used a few years prior by Universal on their own Blu-Ray. The Blu-Ray included in this new 4K UHD release is derived from the new master and serves as a welcome improvement.

The new 4K UHD disc is a stunning improvement that clears up some of the persistent issues that needed to be addressed. This transfer retains the natural film grain of the presentation without becoming intrusive or clumpy. The picture is a bit more crisp when it comes to long shots. Some will be disappointed this is not presented in HDR, but the colors are brilliantly saturated as is. Plus, Kino has been working better with SDR presentations when it comes to encoding prowess. All instances of glaring print damage have been eradicated. Overall clarity and detail are pleasing, and skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle facial features easily noticeable in closeup. Black levels hold up well with crush not serving as an issue. This new presentation from Kino Classics is very impressive and should please film fans.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with both a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track that appears to sound slightly different from the lone 2.0 track on the previous Blu-Ray. If we were to guess, we would say the new 2.0 track is a downmix of the 5.1 track. Unfortunately, this sounds a bit weaker in some respects than the previous track with a greater degree of sibilance breaking through. The track is not awful, but it has seemingly been tinkered with to no apparent benefit. Where there were not any majorly noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear, you now have subtle signs of strain.

The memorable score from Henry Mancini still sounds great throughout the duration of the film, as it creates a curious, playful tone for the narrative. There is never a moment where it threatens to overwhelm competing sounds, and it maintains a good balance so that dialogue comes through clearly. Environmental sounds such as the shower or motor of a car are rendered well alongside everything else. The more thrilling moments are delivered with more of a quiet strike than anything bombastic. The new track from Kino Classics is fine, but it could be better. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson give a very lively and entertaining commentary track in which they talk about the place of this film in history, why it is unfairly lumped with other thrillers, the nonsensical elements in the film, the performances, the violence in the film, the settings and more. There is so much fun input throughout this track that fans should love digging into.

Music By Mancini: A ten-minute featurette with Henry Mancini and Nationally Syndicated Columnist Leonard Feather in which they discuss his career and the process of composing a score. Appropriately enough this piece focuses on the creation of the score for Arabesque.

Poster Gallery: A collection of posters is provided here.

TV Spots: Two minutes of TV spots are provided here.

Trailers: There is a Television Trailer (1:05), Teaser Trailer (1:23), and Trailer (3:30) provided for Arabesque. There are also trailers provided for Mirage, The Secret Ways, The Counterfeit Traitor, The Manchurian Candidate, The Ipcress File, Topkapi, A Lovely Way To Die, The President’s Analyst, A Dandy In Aspic, and Impasse.

Final Thoughts

Arabesque is a bit messy on a script level, but the performances from Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren elevate otherwise more middle-of-the-road material. Director Stanley Donen should also be given due credit for adding some visual flair to the proceedings. Kino Classics has given this one a 4K UHD Blu-Ray release sporting a strong A/V presentation and a decent array of special features. The film has problems, but there are many fun moments if you are looking for a more mindless time. If you are a fan, this is the disc to get if you have yet to pick it up. Recommended

Arabesque will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray on November 12, 2024.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.