Pépé le Moko (1937)
Australian Premiere - 4K Restoration
“Julien Duvivier was once considered one of the world’s great filmmakers. He was idolised by Orson Welles and Michael Powell, while Ingmar Bergman once admitted that of all the careers that he would have liked to have had, it would be Duvivier’s. The classicism of his mise en scène, his core thematic concerns – deception, misanthropy, the fragility of the (male) group, the dangerous woman – and his ability to coax fevered or fragile performances by both established stars and new actors place Duvivier at the apex of French Classical Cinema.” – Ben McCann, Senses of Cinema
Holed up in the Casbah in Algiers, gangster Pépé (Gabin) falls for the glamourous Gaby and thus begins his trip down the slippery slope to doom. Inspector Slimane sets a trap to entice Pépé from his lair. Master craftsman Duvivier was among the most highly regarded French filmmakers of the 30s. Pépé le Moko is among a batch of films he made in that decade which placed him at that peak. Gabin was the best-known French actor of his day and his performance in the lead marked a new high of popularity. The creation of the Casbah in a French studio allowed Duvivier full freedom to enhance the dark-shadowed, heightened realism that was a hallmark of French cinema in the day.
Introduced by Max Berghouse at Ritz Cinemas and by Kevin Cassidy at Lido Cinemas.
Rating
M
Duration
94 min
Country
France
Language
French (English Subtitles)
Cast
Jean Gabin, Mireille Balin, Lucas Gridoux, Gaston Modot
Director
Julien Duvivier
