Pépé le Moko
Posted by Jared
Pépé le Moko (1937)
Julien Duvivier
viewed 02.08.06
This was an absolute treat. I said it before in response to Mary's post on Casablanca, but they do not write films like this anymore. Films of this era, the great ones at least, seem to delight in eccentric charaters, vivid dialogue, and graceful badinage. They are films for adults with active minds, with charismatic performances that can captivate the youngest and most untrained viewer.
If you want to be charmed by sparlking exchanges, playful moments and beautiful motifs you might want to look back a half-century and introduce yourself to the some of the originals (Ernst Lubitch's Trouble in Paradise or Howard Hawks' His Girl Friday). If you live near Milwaukee you can do just that when the Times Cinema screens a series of classics including Casablanca, Strangers On A Train, and It Happened One Night. Only 5 bucks.