A classic

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it was included in the ‘1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die’ list, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, I have to admit that I’m not familiar with Julien Duvivier’s work, it was the first movie he directed that I watched but the guy really had some skills, that’s for sure. Indeed, even though it might not be really groundbreaking, it was still a really solid film noir, even before the genre actually existed. The most striking thing was the location as it was taking place in the Casbah in Algiers when Algeria was still a French colony. It was so convincing but, at the time in France up until the New Wave, all movies were completely shot in studio sets in Paris and this movie was no different. Even though I did go to Algiers a couple of times when I was a kid back in the 90’s , of course, I can’t say I know how this place must have been back in the 30’s but they did manage to create such a vivid place, it was quite spellbinding to behold. What was so intriguing was that there was at the same time a sense of freedom as Pépé could wander there without being arrested or being threaten by anyone but also a sense of dread as he was pretty much stuck there. Basically, this seemingly nice and friendly place was pretty much a prison after all. All these conflicting feelings were perfectly reflected by Jean Gabin, the best French actor at the time, and the guy gave here another really strong performance. Eventually, his fascination with Gaby had more to do with the fact that she reminded him so much of Paris, the place he actually belonged to, more than the Casbah in Algiers. In her case, she was also pretty much a hustler and therefore she felt more connection with him than with the rich guy she was travelling with. Anyway, to conclude, it really deserves its strong reputation and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

8/10