Arabesque is a 1966 thriller directed by Stanley Donan. The intense action revolves around Professor David Pollock (Gregory Peck), who is an expert in hieroglyphics at Oxford University. He finds himself involved in uncovering the assassination of a foreign prime minister in the Middle East by deciphering an ancient Arabic text that may contain information about the mission. He has to penetrate the organization of Beshraavi (Alan Badel), who is the designer of the plan, trying to discover why the information in the ciphered text is so important. Pollock gets some help from Yasmin Azir (Sophia Loren), the beautiful Beshraavi's lover. However, he finds out that he cannot completely trust this mystery woman, unsure of whose side she is working. With killers going after him and a lot of uncertainty, Pollock is in danger. The film was chosen by the American Film Institute to highlight the legendary career of Sophia Loren. It has four nominations and won a BAFTA award.moreless