Julien Duvivier was one of the best French film directors of all times. He was a pioneer and an innovator of the cinema. His legacy is a rich one, producing films that were imitated, but never equaled by other men. Take "Pepe le Moko" is 1937 film that was remade by Hollywood twice, with mediocre results. One wonders how can, an original and pace setting work of art, be redone by people that had not the sense of style, nor the brilliancy of Julien Duvivier?
Duvivier took the production to Algiers with magnificent results. Working with the brilliant cinematographers, Marc Fossark and Jules Kruger, Duvivier captures the essence, vibrancy and mysteriousness of Algiers with emphasis in the Casbah quarter, which comes alive with the magical light his camera men got out of that closed quarter and that beautiful city by the sea.
The idea of having Pepe living in that maze of streets and houses that communicate through the roofs gives the film a claustrophobic feeling because our main character cannot leave this area without risking being arrested as soon as the police catch up with him. Pepe is a man that endears himself to the people in the Casbah. Together with his gang, he appears to thrive in this milieu.
Pepe is loved by the faithful Ines. She is a loyal woman who will do anything to protect Pepe and the rest of his cronies. Pepe, on the other hand, might be in the Casbah, but his heart is in Paris. That is evident when Gaby, the gorgeous kept woman, is separated from her party while at the Casbah, only to be rescued by Pepe, who soon discovers he has a lot in common with her. In fact, in a lovely sequence both Pepe and Gaby start naming favorite places in Paris. Place Blance, they discover is their kind of place. How true!
Pepe is a hunted man. This man, who has been able to elude being caught, makes a fatal mistake upon learning Gaby and her friends will be sailing for France. He manages to buy a ticket, but the police are on his trail and it's only a matter of time they'll get him. The final sequence of Pepe watching the ship pull away from the port is one of the saddest moments in the movie because this gangster's past interferes with the sudden passion he feels for a woman that will never be his.
Jean Gabin, what a charismatic actor he was! His Pepe is at times a fun man, a criminal, a lover, an escapee from the justice, and a fantastic actor that registers each phase of the character with conviction. M. Gabin was perhaps one of the best film actors of the French cinema; with Pepe, he clearly shows why he was an actor that could do nothing wrong. Pepe was one of his biggest creations for the screen.
The beautiful Mireille Balin is seen as Gaby, the woman who conquers Pepe's heart. They have a lot in common. Her unusual situation gets in her way and her love for Pepe will not be possible. Line Noro plays Ines, the woman who adores Pepe, but she realizes she can't have him. Also in the cast Fernand Charpin, Gabro, Lucas Giroux, Gilbert Gil give good performances for M. Duvivier.
The film is a classic of the period. Julien Duvivier was at the top of his craft, as he clearly proves with this movie.
Duvivier took the production to Algiers with magnificent results. Working with the brilliant cinematographers, Marc Fossark and Jules Kruger, Duvivier captures the essence, vibrancy and mysteriousness of Algiers with emphasis in the Casbah quarter, which comes alive with the magical light his camera men got out of that closed quarter and that beautiful city by the sea.
The idea of having Pepe living in that maze of streets and houses that communicate through the roofs gives the film a claustrophobic feeling because our main character cannot leave this area without risking being arrested as soon as the police catch up with him. Pepe is a man that endears himself to the people in the Casbah. Together with his gang, he appears to thrive in this milieu.
Pepe is loved by the faithful Ines. She is a loyal woman who will do anything to protect Pepe and the rest of his cronies. Pepe, on the other hand, might be in the Casbah, but his heart is in Paris. That is evident when Gaby, the gorgeous kept woman, is separated from her party while at the Casbah, only to be rescued by Pepe, who soon discovers he has a lot in common with her. In fact, in a lovely sequence both Pepe and Gaby start naming favorite places in Paris. Place Blance, they discover is their kind of place. How true!
Pepe is a hunted man. This man, who has been able to elude being caught, makes a fatal mistake upon learning Gaby and her friends will be sailing for France. He manages to buy a ticket, but the police are on his trail and it's only a matter of time they'll get him. The final sequence of Pepe watching the ship pull away from the port is one of the saddest moments in the movie because this gangster's past interferes with the sudden passion he feels for a woman that will never be his.
Jean Gabin, what a charismatic actor he was! His Pepe is at times a fun man, a criminal, a lover, an escapee from the justice, and a fantastic actor that registers each phase of the character with conviction. M. Gabin was perhaps one of the best film actors of the French cinema; with Pepe, he clearly shows why he was an actor that could do nothing wrong. Pepe was one of his biggest creations for the screen.
The beautiful Mireille Balin is seen as Gaby, the woman who conquers Pepe's heart. They have a lot in common. Her unusual situation gets in her way and her love for Pepe will not be possible. Line Noro plays Ines, the woman who adores Pepe, but she realizes she can't have him. Also in the cast Fernand Charpin, Gabro, Lucas Giroux, Gilbert Gil give good performances for M. Duvivier.
The film is a classic of the period. Julien Duvivier was at the top of his craft, as he clearly proves with this movie.