Happy Birthday to the beautiful Sophia Loren, who turns 74 today. I have always enjoyed this actress, not only because she was a model of loveliness in her films, but because she always had an aura of dignity and an air of mystery. One of her most mysterious films was Arabesque, in which she was paired with the dashing Gregory Peck (after Cary Grant turned down the role). Peck played a professor who helped decode ancient hieroglyphics with Loren's glamorous spy character, Yazmin.Loren should have been cast in more mysteries, because her face was perfect for films of intrigue (and it is not certain whether or not one can trust her in this film). This was also a humorous movie, though, and Loren was surprisingly good at comedy.
I sometimes yearn for the stylish movies of the sixties, especially those with scores by the great Henry Mancini, who provided the music for Arabesque.
The more I talk about it, the more I'd like to rent this movie again.
But Happy Birthday, Sophia--you are one of the icons of my childhood.
To read another post about Sophia and my look-alike babysitter, check out Poe's Deadly Daughters on Monday.
