In 1937 France, thief Pepe Le Moko (Jean Gabin) is hiding out in the city's notorious Casbah district. One step out of it and he'll be sent to jail. He falls in love with a high class woman, Gaby (Mireille Balin) but he must leave the Casbah to be with her...and the police are closing in.
This is a good movie...at times a great one, but not the masterpiece I've heard it is. It drags at times and some of the subtitles read pretty stupidly. Also there's some truly ugly sexism on display. But, it's well directed by Julien Duvivier and Gabin was one hell of an actor. He's handsome, intelligent and full of charisma. In one great sequence, he's so happy that he's literally singing and you see how it affects everyone around him. Also Balin is beyond beautiful and Lucas Gridoux (as a sleazy detective) and Gilbert Gil are very good. And the ending is shattering and very moving.
So...it's a very good French film.
It's just been reissued in a beautiful new print (as of August 2002)...try to catch it.
This is a good movie...at times a great one, but not the masterpiece I've heard it is. It drags at times and some of the subtitles read pretty stupidly. Also there's some truly ugly sexism on display. But, it's well directed by Julien Duvivier and Gabin was one hell of an actor. He's handsome, intelligent and full of charisma. In one great sequence, he's so happy that he's literally singing and you see how it affects everyone around him. Also Balin is beyond beautiful and Lucas Gridoux (as a sleazy detective) and Gilbert Gil are very good. And the ending is shattering and very moving.
So...it's a very good French film.
It's just been reissued in a beautiful new print (as of August 2002)...try to catch it.