source: Algiers

Trailer—Algiers

Algiers

This is a really well done film that documents the true nature of the Casbah . A ghetto section of Algiers it was home to many peoples and religions , the most common theme was as a hideout for illegal activity and a haven for fugitives from justice somewhere in the world .The atmosphere is well done as a rather dank and dusty centuries old maze of connecting modules one leading to the other where only natives have a chance of navigating their way through .Pepe le Moko (Charles Boyer) is a fugitive from France jewel thief who longs to be home , Sigrid Gurie his shadow who does anything for his love .And Hedy Lamarr as the beauty who swoops in and steals Pepe's heart and good sense .A very entertaining film to watch . Try it !

In practically every way, this is a copy of the earlier French film PEPE LE MOKO which starred Jean Gabin instead of Charles Boyer (in the American version). So, I am left to wonder why people would want to see this Hollywood version when they could just watch the earlier film instead? This is especially true in the early part of the film when lousy stock footage is used to represent the streets of the Casbah in Algiers in the American film, but the French one looked like it was filmed on location. About the only other major way the films differ are at the end. In the French film, he commits suicide in a VERY unconvincing manner, but in the American version he is killed. I must say that the ending of ALGIERS was a lot better, but aside from that my nod goes to PEPE LE MOKO. Neither film are great, but very watchable and very stylish in the way they portray this slick master criminal.

The benchmark performance in the stereotyping of Charles Boyer. I had never seen the film before and didn't realize that like "Play it again, Sam," he never utters the line "Come with me to the Casbah." I'm glad I saw it for Boyer's performance which is quite well sustained. He is truly a cad. He is truly a prisoner. Because of his success as a jewel thief, he can never leave the Casbah. The police play a waiting game. It's that old respect thing where he becomes the object of their searches and always manages to get away; his legend is greater than his being. However, it always gets us in the end, doesn't it? There are some nice performances and I always like films set in those desert cultures of the thirties and forties. I'm glad I saw it because it filled a hole in my movie knowledge.

Algiers is stunning film on many different levels that carries an unusual originality for the time period. The romantic chemistry between Hedy Lamarr(Gaby) Charles Boyer(Pepe)is perhaps one of the movie's most fascinating and unusual aspects. But what really makes things shine is the brilliant black and white cinematography of James Wong Howe. There are also many different one liners and camera shots in this film that have become famous over the years and it's fun just looking for things that you've heard or seen before. I'm not sure how much Warner Brother's cartoons based their stinky skunk (Pepe le Pew) on Charles Boyer's character Pepe le Moko but there has be some correlation. Anyway, Algiers is a grand piece of entertainment well worth the watching.

Satisfying, exotic American version of the French film "Pepe Le Moko" (which, I've heard, was distributed here in the U.S. under its French title, which means Pepe the Pimp, unbeknowest to the censors). Boyer leads the right star performance and Lamarr gets her ingenue role as the girl he loves but can't see outside of the Casbah. When the police try to arrest Pepe in the Casbah, he quickly disappears and they receive no cooperation from the locals. To lure him out of that district's confines, the cops set up a trap using the unknowing Lamarr as bait. their sad, brief romance ends, presumably, with his incarceration. Similar in plot, but not in tone, to contemporary "gangster" flicks.

I've heard of this movie, and when I finally had a chance to view it, I was hooked. I actually thought I was in Algiers and the casbah. When I first saw Hedy Lamarr make her entrance, I was hooked again. What a vision of beauty. I could see now when fans talk about legendary beauties of Hollywood, she is most mentioned. Charles Boyer was great as Pepe La Moko, and so was Gene Lochart as the informer. To me, the ending was most tragic, and I will never forget the fading ship sailing away and Hedy's vision, never to see her lover again. No wonder its a classic. They don't make movies like these anymore, the pity of it all.

I've seen this film countless times on tv, usually in the 1 a.m. time slot. Am always fascinated by it somehow. There's such an authentic atmosphere of the locale, very suspicious characters, intrigue and suspense both indoors and on the streets. The suave Charles Boyer (as Pepe, the thief) certainly grips one's attention while he becomes more mired in the plot as it unfolds. Hedy Lamarr lights up the screen with her glowing beauty, one forgets she's supposed to be acting, but is that important? Of course not. I can't imagine the story having her engaged to marry an elderly wide-girthed fellow; my goodness, for her anything's better than that! There's a youngish Leonid Kinskey also appearing as a supporting actor, along with reliable Alan Hale (formerly Robin Hood's buddy, more or less) and Gene Lockhart, whom I've never seen in such a serious role as this one. It's a movie that stands the test of time.