1937 Directed by Julien Duvivier
Pépé le Moko, one of France's most wanted criminals, hides out in the Casbah section of Algiers. He knows police will be waiting for him if he tries to leave the city. When Pépé meets Gaby, a gorgeous woman from Paris who is lost in the Casbah, he falls for her.
Jean Gabin Mireille Balin Gabriel Gabrio Lucas Gridoux Gilbert Gil Line Noro Saturnin Fabre Fernand Charpin Marcel Dalio Charles Granval Gaston Modot René Bergeron Paul Escoffier Roger Legris Jean Témerson Robert Ozanne Philippe Richard Georges Péclet Fréhel Olga Lord Renée Carl Franck Maurice Yacef Saadi
Les Nuits blanches, Pépé-Le-Moko, Império do Vício, Tajanstveni Alžir, O Demônio da Algéria, Pépé le Moko - Im Dunkel von Algier, 망향
Crime, drugs and gangsters Thrillers and murder mysteries robbery, criminal, crime, heist or cops film noir, femme fatale, 1940s, thriller or intriguing romance, emotion, relationships, feelings or captivating emotion, storytelling, powerful, poetic or captivating spy, agent, intrigue, thriller or suspense Show All…
Stage 11: Sorgues > Malaucène, 198.9 km (mountain)
Winner: Wout van Aert (Team Jumbo-Visma)
Yellow Jersey: Tadej Pogačar (UAE-Team Emirates)
Verdict: Today the peloton had to conquer the giant Mont Ventoux not once, but twice. Van Aert won from an early breakaway, winning his first ever Tour mountain stage, after having won bunch sprints before (pretty special). The four best riders of the year have now all won a stage this Tour (Alaphilippe, Van der Poel, and Pogačar being the other three). Speaking of Pogačar, the young Vingegaard managed to drop the yellow jersey for a minute, but in the end there were no spectacular changes in the overall standings.
100-word review: Notorious criminal Pépé hides from the French police in…
Film School Drop Outs Challenge 2017 Week 7 - Movement - French Poetic Realism (1930-1945)
I must admit that I only have a basic understanding of what constitutes Poetic Realism. In fact, it would appear that Poetic Realism is harder to pin down to a specific set of criteria than some other movements such as German Expressionism or Soviet Montage to begin with. The very term Poetic Realism appears to be an oxymoron to me. Poetry is the stuff of figurative language, it is the metaphors and the images used to express those things which are hard to articulate in a matter of fact way. In film, this would involve the use of formal devices to create surreal or subjective…
Gabin was almost Garbo-like in his ability to anchor our attention without moving a muscle; in this, as critic David Thomson says, he is “a knowing listener more than a speaker, anticipatory rather than active.” His gaze exudes an intelligent warmth, an alert strength, and all manner of brutal history, all without “acting”; the achievement of an individual’s photographable presence rather than his mimicry is the most sublime legacy of movie performance.
— Michael Atkinson
Few actors will ever have what Jean Gabin had, and it's honestly just as well — we as an audience can only be helplessly drawn to so many doomed characters before we lose our capacity to engage. And Gabin could achieve this, as Atkinson says,…
75/100
While Charles Boyer never actually said "Come wiz me to ze Casbah," that is more or less the irresistible offer that Duvivier makes here. I confess that it's not 100% clear to me why Pépé can't be arrested unless he leaves home base (is it just that his friends protect him there?), but confining the action almost entirely to that overpopulated warren makes for a gloriously atmospheric exercise in romanticism and suffocating stasis. It's the kind of film that'll stop dead, just as things are finally heating up, for a scene in which a minor character sings along with a recording she made in her youth—that's how secure Duvivier is in the knowledge that we're in no hurry to…
Immersive sets, dynamic editing, and beautiful cinematography elevate this tragic crime romance beyond the confines of its straightforward story. The Casbah is a gorgeously-rendered setting — each immaculately-lit frame is packed with mesmerizing detail and fascinating background characters. European and American films ordinarily depict foreign locations like this for an orientalist sense of exoticism and danger, and while a degree of that happens in this film, its Casbah feels much more grounded and full of life, with a strong sense of community at its core.
Pepe le Moko is a story about a man on the run from the law. The film takes place in the Casbah, a city that is mazelike, a labyrinth. Pepe decides to hide here in order to avoid the law, whilst falling in love with a woman he meets there.
Honestly I found this really boring. It's essentially a romcom with no real motive for romance. The film would've been up my alley if it wasn't so dialogue-heavy and flustered with meaningless scenes. What this film almost accomplishes is a generic love-story at best. When the romance feels completely unearned, it's difficult for me to care about both Pepe and this woman he's falling for.
Hell, I didn't even care…
Pépé le Moko is a cinematic treat which exemplifies itself with an evident deal of vigilance given to each detail, from the lighting to the dialogue, and, unsurprisingly, various genres and movements have laid claim to it over the decades.
Directed by Julien Duvivier and set in the Casbah of Algiers, it features a magnetic performance from Jean Gabin as the titular character; a wanted criminal who is out of reach of the French police all the time he resides in the North African citadel city. The time he has spent in the location has discovered him becoming both a somewhat distinguished local figure as well as a hostage to its location. It's an iconic role which brought Gabin to…
It's amazing to finally watch a film that has inspired so many and to instantly recognize why it is so influential. I'm gobsmacked by Jean Gabin's iconic Pepe and also even more eager to see the rest of his great films of the late 30s having only seen this and Grand Illusion (both brilliant and made the same year!). I have been a fan of French poetic realism, particularly the films of Cocteau and Carne, but this one feels the most like a precursor to film noir, one of my favorite genres.
What I loved most was the use of place, light & shadow, and the framing/editing of shots that enhanced a great script and acting. As someone who counts Casablanca…
Hollywood may have had its famous gangsters and femme fatales during the 30s (and even the 40s), but Jean Gabin's landmark performance became the chauvinistic and unscrupulous icon for subsequent gangster portrayals. Despite its cheap budget, Pépé le Moko has an intriguing story that would be borrowed by several French, Italian and American classics (most notably Casablanca [1942]) and wonderful locations easily appreciated by a remarkable cinematography. It's a longstanding legend.
98/100
The notorious criminal Pépé Le Moko (Jean Gabin) is holed up in the Casbah section of Algiers. If he leaves its labyrinth the police will catch him or worse. And so he waits, and waits, until a woman draws him out into the open to face his fate. For all its specificity Pépé Le Moko’s predicament is easy to relate to. He’s trapped if he stays and doomed if he leaves. He can’t move but he can’t rest while his passions burn. He can resist everything except his own desires.
The slithery Slimane is an undercover cop operating in plain sight of Pépé Le Moko’s gang, brazenly telling him to his face that he will catch him when the time…
Encapsulating the cinematic setting with an utterly melancholic aura, proving it's poetic realism on the peak, 'Pépé le Moko' predates the classic noir era of Hollywood and the portrayal of notoriously charming characters of gangsters by insinuating a romantic epiphany which eventually rises as the cause of individualistic disarray. Bound by an uncontrollable urge in the character sophistication of Pépé, Duvivier's attempt at a cruder presentation of the character dynamics work out perfectly only to stay as an archetype of classic and modern crimes.
94/100
The most wanted criminal hides in a Casbah as the police starts a manhunt. In the midst of this, he falls in love with a local women.
Once again, Jean Gabin, was brilliant as this tough as nail, witty criminal whose always a step forward everyone else. He's certainly one of the greatest aspects why this movie is worth a watch. The script has this very good moments of cat and mouse, and the way how we see this brilliant fall victim of his own pride was really well executed.
Unfortunately, with all the twists and turns, and good performances, you can't help but feeling there's something missing. So much happen, and yet, sometimes it feels like the movie doesn't…
