Algiers (film)
| Algiers | |
|---|---|
 1938 US Theatrical Poster |
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| Directed by | John Cromwell |
| Produced by | Walter Wanger |
| Written by | John Howard Lawson (screenplay) James M. Cain (additional dialogue) |
| Starring | Charles Boyer Sigrid Gurie Hedy Lamarr |
| Music by | Vincent Scotto Mohamed Ygerbuchen |
| Cinematography | James Wong Howe |
| Editing by | Otho Lovering William H. Reynolds |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | June 28, 1938 |
| Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Algiers is a 1938 American drama film directed by John Cromwell and starring Charles Boyer, Sigrid Gurie, and Hedy Lamarr.[1] The Walter Wanger production was a remake of the successful 1937 French film Pépé le Moko, which derived its plot from the Henri La Barthe novel of the same name. John Howard Lawson wrote the screenplay.
The film was a sensation because it was the first Hollywood film starring Hedy Lamarr, whose stunning beauty became the main feature for film audiences. The film is notable as one of the sources of inspiration to the screenwriters of the 1942 Warner Brothers film Casablanca who wrote it with Hedy Lamarr in mind as the original female lead. According to the Turner Classic Movie channel, Charles Boyer's depiction of the main character, Pepe Le Moko, was the inspiration for the Warner Brothers animated character, Pepe Le Pew. In 1966, the film entered the public domain (in the USA) due to the claimants failure to renew its copyright registration in the 28th year after publication.[2]
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[edit] Cast
- Charles Boyer as Pepe le Moko
- Sigrid Gurie as Ines
- Hedy Lamarr as Gaby
- Joseph Calleia as Inspector Slimane
- Alan Hale as Grandpere
- Gene Lockhart as Regis
- Walter Kingsford as Chef Inspector Louvain
- Paul Harvey as Commissioner Janvier
- Stanley Fields as Carlos
- Johnny Downs as Pierrot
- Charles D. Brown as Max
- Robert Greig as Giraux
- Leonid Kinskey as L'Arbi
- Joan Woodbury as Aicha
- Nina Koshetz as Tania
[edit] Plot
Pepe Le Moko (Boyer) is a notorious thief, who escaped from France after his last great heist to Algeria. Since his escape, Moko became a resident and leader of the immense Casbah, or "native quarter," of Algiers. French officials arrive insisting on Pepe's capture are met with unfazed local detectives, led by Inspector Slimane (Calleia), who are biding their time. Meanwhile, Pepe begins to feel increasingly trapped in his prison-like stronghold, a feeling which intensifies after meeting the beautiful Gaby (Lamarr), who is visiting from France. His love for Gaby soon arouses the jealousy of Ines (Gurie), Pepe's Algerian mistress.
[edit] Reception
[edit] Academy Awards
- Best Actor (nomination) - Charles Boyer
- Best Supporting Actor (nomination) - Gene Lockhart
- Best Art Direction (nomination) - Alexander Toluboff
- Best Cinematography (nomination) - James Wong Howe
[edit] Adaptations to Other Media
Algiers was dramatized as an hour-long radio play on two broadcasts of Lux Radio Theater, first on July 7, 1941 with Charles Boyer and Hedy Lamarr, second on December 14, 1942 with Boyer and Loretta Young.
[edit] In popular culture
The 1938 movie Algiers was most Americans' introduction to the picturesque alleys and souks of the Casbah. It was also the inspiration for the 1942 Warner Brothers movie Casablanca which was written specifically for Hedy Lamarr in the female lead role. However, MGM refused to release Hedy Lamarr despite all efforts by Warner Brothers.
The invitation "Come with me to the Casbah," which was heard in trailers for Algiers but not in the film itself, became an exaggerated romantic overture promising exoticism and mystery, largely owing to its use by Looney Tunes cartoon character Pepé Le Pew, himself a spoof of Pépé le Moko. The amorous skunk used "Come with me to ze Casbah" as a pickup line. In 1954, the Looney Tunes cartoon The Cats Bah specifically spoofed Algiers, with the skunk enthusiastically declaring to Penelope the Cat, "Do not come with me to ze Casbah...We shall make beautiful musics [sic] togezzer right 'ere!"
[edit] See also
- The Battle of Algiers
- List of American films of 1938
- Casbah, a 1948 musical film
- List of films in the public domain
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/19052/Algiers/articles.html
- ^ Pierce, David (June 2007). "Forgotten Faces: Why Some of Our Cinema Heritage Is Part of the Public Domain". Film History: An International Journal 19 (2): 125–43. DOI:10.2979/FIL.2007.19.2.125. ISSN 0892-2160. JSTOR 25165419. OCLC 15122313.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Algiers (film) |
- Algiers at the Internet Movie Database
- Algiers is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
- Algiers at AllRovi
- Algiers (film) at the TCM Movie Database
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