Pepe le Poetic Realist

Pepe le Moko was a piece of French cinema in the vein of poetic realism, orchestrated by Julien Duvivier. According to the article The Popular Art of French Cinema, “The doomed universe of Poetic Realist films was said to reflect the gloomy morale of the immediate pre-war years.” I believe that while not mired in an anticipation of war, Pepe le Moko was certainly a victim of the ‘gloomy morale’ of these Poetic Realist films. The ending alone reflects the pessimistic worldview at the time, while maintaining a lust for freedom in a Vichy government; Pepe would rather kill himself than be trapped by the overwhelming weight of authority, just as he was equally trapped in the Casbah. The entire film has a downtrodden view on life, Pepe’s friend dies, he betrays his woman for another, she betrays him, and there is no upside for anyone involved. This is also somewhat in keeping with the traditions passed on to America with the popularization of Film Noir, as these Poetic Realist films are said to be precursors to that genre. The dark outlook and shadowing, even somewhat of a deathly woman, a ‘femme fatale’ is present, in Ines, the woman who betrays him. Her actions may have been condemned at the time, but today we may see them differently. They could be seen as the actions of a poorly treated woman, but at the time, she was treated no differently than any other woman, and would therefore be seen as guilty.