Duvivier lets you feel the heat and the stink of the Casbah, pervading like the rot gut whiskey Pepe Le Moko so prefers. This film has Von Sternberg levels of mood and vibes of decadence and degradation. His Morocco is a world of low-lifes, ex-pats and two bit gangsters.
All the shine that Bogey and Bergman and Lorre would put on Casablanca a few years later completely absent. This is a hopeless film for an era that proved to be hopeless. In our own decadent and degraded era, it feels as relevant and modern as ever.
Duvivier is fast becoming one of my favorite early French directors. Like Renoir, he knows how to get the best out of Gabin - who gives an incredibly dynamic performance that never quite tips into melodrama.
Well worth catching on Criterion.
Movies!