Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of French cinema's greatest films!, 26 April 2005
One of the defining moments in thirties French cinema(perhaps the greatest era in motion picture history), Pepe le Moko c'est la masterpiece. It is the work of a proficient director united with imperious French acting legend, Jean Gabin(La grande Illusion, La Bete Humaine) successfully creating a thriller that functions consumately on a poetic level. Usually filmmakers with thrillers in their oeuvre are typically devoid of any poetic intuition in their movies but Duvivier elevates this film to a transcendent plateau rarely frequented by other films in the genre.
The texture of the cinematography has a warmth and richness of visual expression, enhanced with the vernacular architecture of the Casbah, a labyrinth of obscurely named streets which glow with lucidity. Duvivier perfectly articulates the expression of doomed love, and Gabin's aesthetic charm, posture and countenance portray beautifully the gangster le Moko. Put simply this film is cast iron, avant garde masterwork of French cinema.
Word on the DVD. For a 1936 film, it is restored beautifully. Conversely, the waterfall home entertainment release of this film is an abomination, an odious mess that is sheer insolence and impudence in the face of the customer. BUY THIS RELEASE!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Without Pepe le Moko, Casablanca would still just be a name on a map, 6 May 2007
Pepe le Moko is one of those films that seems to actually improve each time I see it, and not just because it set the mold for every exotic doomed Hollywood romance from Casablanca on. Jean Gabin is at his best here, capturing both the legend and the vulnerability of his criminal king of the Casbah, `ruling' in hell but longing for the heaven beyond its gates. The atmosphere is wonderful, the script sublime, Duvivier's direction superb, and the film so filled with memorable moments that you can forgive the blandness of the leading lady (to be fair, the attraction is meant to be more the lure of the old life and places back home that Pepe once knew) and the over the top performance of Lucas Gridoux, overdoing the Uriah Heap routine as his nemesis Slimaine, potentially the film's most interesting character.
Sadly, unlike Criterion's excellent NTSC DVD, this release is bare bones, but the film itself is more than enough reason to buy.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jean Gabin at his best, 23 Jul 2007
"Le Moko? A prince of plunder," says Inspector Slimane. "Fifteen convictions, 33 daylight robberies, two bank holdups. And burglaries? We haven't enough fingers in this room on which to count them all. How could he not be admired? And such a good boy! He wears his heart on his sleeve. As quick with a smile for his friends as a knife for foes. So charming."
Pepe le Moko (Jean Gabin) fled France for Algiers after a robbery, and has been holed up in the Casbah for two years. He's a major crime figure and the police, as long as he stays in the Casbah's labyrinth of streets, stairways and alleys, protected and warned by the people who live there, can't touch him. But le Moko is tired of his fate. He longs for France and freedom. He's bored with his life and with his mistress (Line Noro). The Casbah has become a prison. He knows Inspector Slimane (Lucas Gridoux), for whom he has a degree of liking, is patiently waiting for the opportunity to trap him. Then one night, escaping from a botched police raid, he encounters Gaby (Mireille Balin), a slumming socialite whose bills are being paid by a wealthy older man. She, at first, is intrigued by his reputation and then is captured by his charm and confidence. Le Moko is captured, too, by her beauty, her freshness and by the overwhelming lure of freedom she represents. In the background, observing and then manipulating, is Inspector Slimane. When we first meet him, Slimane seems a little too obsequious to his superiors and a little too outclassed by le Moko. In fact, he proves smarter and more ruthless than anyone else. The ending is a heartbreaker.
Jean Gabin gives a performance of such understated power that you can't keep your eyes off him. What's le Moko like, asks one character. Charming and frightening is the reply. For those, such as myself, who consider Gabin probably the finest screen actor, the charm is there, and so is the possibility of brutality not far from the surface. Lucas Gridoux also gives a fine performance. Inspector Slimane is a "native" cop, working under French superiors. He knows the Casbah, he can read le Moko. He's patient and he's determined. Slimane walks with a stoop and a smile that's all too ready, as though he has learned what it takes to work with the French. With all that, Gridoux gives Slimane a toughness and tenacity that underlines the inevitability of le Moko's fate.
This is a picture to watch while falling in love, said Elvis Mitchell, then a film critic for the New York Times. He's right. The film at times is almost jaunty and can be cynical, but it also tells a story that is poetic, romantic and doomed. After watching the final scene, you'll be glad to have someone to hug.
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