Set in the Poetic Realist world of the labyrinth-like Casbah, Algiers, Julien Duvivier’s Pepe le Moko (1937) is rife with intrigue and romance, but perhaps most of all, symbolism. Because the film was released at the brink of a second world war, it is especially interesting to correlate the symbolisms in Pepe to France during that specific era.
The hero, criminal mastermind Pepe of Marseilles (Jean Gabin), is the first to observe in terms of metaphor and symbolism. He represents, through a sense of loyalty and heightened romance, the “spirit of France,” per se. He is an unlikely hero, but one with whom we can identify because of his compassion over those whom he loves, and his very human need to “be free.” After a two-year, self-imposed exile – brought on by the pursuit of police in his beloved Paris – Pepe’s appetite for freedom is whet by a beautiful Parisienne tourist (Mireille Balin). She is the forbidden ticket out of his prison – or his perceived prison, depending on how you look at it. (Pepe has made a good life for himself in Casbah, and is not without love and companionship, but as the representative “spirit of France,” he must always long for Paris.)
In a way, Pepe and Casbah are like France and the impending German occupation – an “imprisonment” of some kind is inevitable, although they did not know exactly what it would be until the Nazis attacked in 1940 and the French government signed an armistice with Germany, allowing the Nazis to invade the north part of the country (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). Leading up to this point, the French people must have felt trapped in their own “Casbah,” and in a surge of resistance, a patriotic mood hung in the air. We have evidence of this in the film, when “Mama” (Renee Carl) sings along to a recording of a patriotic love song addressed to Paris. Nostalgia and entrapment are too much for Pepe to bear, and when the young policeman’s, Slimane’s (Lucas Gridoux), predictions about his doomed fate come true, the viewer can only shudder and think of how it must have been when, for instance, the Germans marched into the City of Lights.
One last observation should be noted, and this is the fact that Pepe’s betrayal before the ship departs Algiers is wrought by a woman who is not French, although Pepe dallies with her for some time. Through the Parisienne, Gaby, we see Pepe’s true love for and fascination not necessarily with the woman herself, but Paris. Their excited conversation about the various sights of the city intoxicates the romantic criminal, and he realizes, too late, that he is in love with Paris, and he can never return. Perhaps Duvivier’s film was prophetic, a dismal forewarning about the future state of France, as well as a gift of encouragement to his fellow citizens, showing them that whether they emigrated or not, to always remember where they are from, no matter where they are “imprisoned.”
Olivia, I really like your thoughtful analysis of Pepe as a symbol for the "spirit of France". As I wrote in response to Nicole's post, I appreciate you trying to connect the film to the particular moment in history when it was made. It is very difficult to examine how (and even if) a film is affected by its environment and history and how (and whether) that socio-political situation is reflected in the film. Sometimes films that were not especially popular at the time of their release take on a special and deeper meaning and resonance later when scholars and critics see the connections between the film and history. Though Pepe Le Moko was popular during its time, I think its significance as a view onto the inter-war years came about later... perhaps in large part due to what you described as the "prophetic" nature of the plot.
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