Charles Boyer, Sigrid Gurie & Hedy Lamarr in "Algiers" (1938) - inspiration for "Casablanca" (1942)

Description:

Pepe le Moko (Charles Boyer), the most notorious thief in Algiers, has eluded prison for years because the police cannot capture him in his habitat, the labyrinthine Casbah sector of the city. Janvier (Paul Harvey), a policeman who reports to the French government in Paris, is determined to capture Pepe and appease his superiors. Inspector Slimane (Joseph Calleia), who regularly sees Pepe in the Casbah, scoffs at Janvier's efforts. Janvier attempts a raid on the Casbah, based on information supplied by Regis (Gene Lockhart), another thief. Regis warns Ines (Sigrid Gurie), a woman in love with Pepe, that the police are coming. The police arrive at Grandpere's (Alan Hale) house, shooting starts and Pepe is wounded, but escapes. Gaby (Hedy Lamarr), a French tourist, is helped by Slimane, who takes her to a house, where they meet Pepe. While Gaby and Aicha (Joan Woodbury) prepare to meet Gaby's rich fiancé Andre Giraux (Robert Greig) and Aicha's rich husband Bertier (Bert Roach), an unhappy Gaby thinks of Pepe. Pepe encounters Slimane in the Casbah and Slimane teases Pepe. Regis tells the policeman Louvain (Walter Kingsford) that he has a plan to capture Pepe, by using Pepe's loyal young friend Pierrot (Johnny Downs) as bait. Pepe is told by Tania (Nina Koshetz), a girl who loves Pierrot, about Regis' plan, and Pepe has Regis brought to him. A wounded Pierrot comes back to the Casbah and tells Pepe exactly what has happened, Pepe takes him to Regis. Pierrot collapses as he is about to shoot Regis, who is then killed by Carlos (Stanley Fields), Pepe's underling. Pepe can't attend Pierrot's funeralbecause it was held outside the Casbah. Gaby wants him to meet her outside the Casbah, but agrees to come back the next day. Slimane advises Giraux to take Gaby away before she becomes too involved with Pepe. Gaby is told by Giraux that Pepe has been killed. The traitor L'Arbi (Leonid Kinskey) tells Pepe that Gaby and Giraux are leaving. Now obsessed, Pepe refuses to listen to Ines' pleas and leaves the Casbah, and buys a steamship ticket. Ines informs Slimane that Pepe will be going directly to the dock. On the boat, Pepe sees Gaby in the salon. Slimane and his men take him under arrest. On the dock, when Pepe runs toward the ship trying to call Gaby, who has not seen him, one of Slimane's men shoots him. As Slimane holds the dying Pepe, he apologizes because his man thought Pepe was trying to escape, to which Pepe replies, "And so I have, my friend." A 1938 American Black & White crime mystery romance drama film directed by John Cromwell, produced by Walter Wanger, screenplay by John Howard Lawson, a remake of the successful French film "Pépé le Moko" (1937), which derived its plot from the Henri La Barthe novel of the same name, cinematography by James Wong Howe, starring Charles Boyer, Sigrid Gurie, Hedy Lamarr, Joseph Calleia, Alan Hale Sr., Gene Lockhart, Walter Kingsford, Paul Harvey, Stanley Fields, Johnny Downs, Charles D. Brown, Robert Greig, Leonid Kinskey, Joan Woodbury, Nina Koshetz, Claudia Dell, Ben Hall , and Bert Roach. Released by United Artists. Hedy Lamarr's first American film. Gene Lockhart's only Oscar-nominated performance. Sigrid Gurie's costumer is Omar Kiam. Grandpere quotes Omar Khayyam, "The moving finger writes and having writ, moves on." Lloyd Knechtel was a London-based cameraman who was sent to Algiers, Algeria, specifically to do backgrounds and exteriors for the picture, which Howe later incorporated into his own studio-shot footage. The passenger steamship shown is the French Line's Ville D'Alger. Completed in 1935, she was designed to cut the time from Marseilles to Algiers from 23 to 18 hours (to be more competitive with the airlines). She was used as a troopship by France in WW2 until the Vichy government came to power. She was seized by the Germans in 1943 and scuttled as a block ship at Caronte, France in 1944. She was raised in 1945, returned to service in 1948, and scrapped in 1969. Charles Boyer's often repeated, and parodied, line "Come with me to the Casbah" was in the trailers but was never said in the film. Boyer's depiction of Pepe le Moko inspired Warner Bros. Animator, Chuck Jones, to base the cartoon character Pepé Le Pew on Boyer's performance. The main theme and the closing credits music are identical to those heard in Pépé le Moko (1937), of which this film is an extremely faithful remake, except for the way the story ends. The film is notable as a source of inspiration to the screenwriters of the Warner Bros. film "Casablanca" (1942), who wrote the later film with Lamarr in mind as the original female lead. Soundtrack music: "C'est la Vie" - Music by Vincent Scotto, Lyrics by Ann Ronell, Performed by Charles Boyer An exotic pre-war treasure with great visuals, lighting and camera work. Set in the teaming alleys of the old town of Algiers in North Africa. This atmospheric drama of ill-starred love is recommended for classic cinema enthusiasts.