Film Review: Pépé le Moko (1937)

Some films are good and look even better when you realise they served as inspiration for many future classics. One such example is Pépé le Moko, the 1937 French crime drama directed by Julien Duvivier.

The plot is based on the eponymous 1931 novel by Henri de la Barthe (published under the pen name “Detective Ashelbé”). The protagonist, played by Jean Gabin, is Pépé le Moko, a French bank robber who, after a series of high-profile heists in mainland France, escapes to Algiers (then under French rule) and finds shelter in the Casbah. This ancient, picturesque quarter, with its multi-ethnic population of prostitutes, deserters, refugees and escaped criminals, and its labyrinthine narrow streets, is a “no-go zone” for the police. Pépé uses it not only to avoid arrest but also to establish himself as the leader of a local criminal gang. He even earns the grudging respect of Inspector Slimane (played by Lucas Gridoux), a native policeman allowed to enter the Casbah, who befriends him. Slimane, however, knows that Pépé has a fatal weakness, which he ultimately exploits to lure him out of the Casbah to his doom. After two years, Pépé grows nostalgic for France, a feeling that intensifies when he begins a romance with Gaby Gould (played by Mireille Bain), a glamorous Parisian tourist.

Pépé le Moko is often considered one of the most notable works of Poetic Realism, a movement characteristic of 1930s French cinema. Due to its setting, fatalistic story and marginalised protagonist, it bears many similarities to La Bandera, an earlier film that also saw director Julien Duvivier collaborate with Jean Gabin. Any comparison between the two, however, would clearly favour the latter, which is more polished. This includes a much tighter, more comprehensive plot and Duvivier’s superb direction. As in La Bandera, Duvivier used some location shooting, including documentary footage of the Casbah, but most of the film was made in Parisian studios. There, designer Jacques Krauss painstakingly recreated ancient Algerian streets, crafting an atmosphere of carefree, hedonistic bliss that goes hand-in-hand with feelings of doom and claustrophobia.

Jean Gabin, at the zenith of his stardom, delivers another great performance, this time as a larger-than-life criminal whose charisma seduces women and inspires loyalty in men, yet who is deep down weak and sentimental. Lucas Gridoux delivers a very good performance as the police detective who is both the protagonist’s friend and adversary. The weakest part of Pépé le Moko is the romance between the protagonist and the beautiful Parisian woman, with Gabin lacking proper chemistry with Mireille Bain—unlike with Line Noro, who plays Inès, Pépé’s Casbah-based girlfriend.

Despite these flaws, Pépé le Moko became a massive hit in French cinemas and provided Gabin with one of his most iconic roles. This caught the attention of Hollywood producer Walter Wanger, who a year later made Algiers, a mostly faithful remake starring Charles Boyer and Hedy Lamarr. The film also inspired the creation of Pepé Le Pew, the popular Looney Tunes character, obviously drawing from Gabin’s and Boyer’s work. But Duvivier’s film proved far more influential for cinema in the following decade. Its setting and script elements are very similar to those of the legendary Casablanca. The black-and-white cinematography by Marc Fossard and Jules Kruger served as inspiration for the specific Hollywood brand of crime dramas that would later become known as film noir. British author Graham Greene, a great admirer of Pépé le Moko, later used it as inspiration when writing his legendary screenplay for The Third Man.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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