mark.waltz This semi-musical remake of "Pepe Le Moko" and the American remake "Algiers" focuses heavily on the obsession for Marta Toren by Casbah thief Pepe (played here by Tony Martin in one of his few real "acting" assignments) and makes the den of thieves and cut throats truly a claustrophobic prison for its hero. He's more than content (at first) to remain in this ghetto, that is until the exotic Toren shows up much to the chagrin of the sultry Yvonne DeCarlo, his long-time mistress who is instantly filled with fury. Algiers inspector Peter Lorre, a pal of LeMoko's in the Casbah, warns him never to leave, but love for Toren will open a Pandora's Box that leads to betrayal and eventually Martin's downfall.The songs barely last a minute each (if that) but two stand out-the Oscar Nominated "For Every Man There's a Woman" and the ensemble "Horray For Love!" which in the 1980's some ABC advertising executive approved for use as its daytime soap promotional music theme. There's also a rare film appearance of the legendary Katherine Dunham (as a café proprietor) and her dance troop which depicts an accurate view of the black population in Northern Africa and the Arab world.Compared to the first two excellent versions, a musical version seems unnecessary, but what has been produced is actually quite enjoyable. Then, there's the lovely DeCarlo, free from Salome's dance and Scherezade's song, getting to sing an embittered verse of "For Every Man There's a Woman" simply to harass the love-lorn Martin. This was long before she got to sing "I'm Still Here!" on Broadway in the original "Follies", and anybody who has heard the cast recording of "Follies" will agree that here she has not been dubbed like other future stars on Broadway (most notably Angela Lansbury) were in movies at this time. DeCarlo is excellent in her cynicism, trying to hide her love for Martin but showing definite heartbreak in her eyes. Lorre is excellent as the law enforcement officer who is actually on LeMoko's side but knows ultimately he'll have no choice but to place Martin under arrest. Toren is lovely but bland, but Martin shows more depth in his character than you'd expect from him.

dbdumonteil There were no less than three remakes of the French classic "Pépé Le Moko" by Julien Duvivier: John Cromwell's "Algiers" could not hold a candle to it,but it was not bad and some of the lines of the original screenplay were preserved.It had nonetheless Charles Boyer sing a maudlin song ,which was not a really good idea."Casbah" did the same and had Tony Martin croon two bland songs (even De Carlo pulls a little tune)"Casbah" is a disaster ;the fact that it begins with a bunch of tourists visiting the Casbah with a guide did not bode well .But John Berry completely butchered "PEPE" .The hero is a handsome crooner,it takes lots of imagination to believe he is a thug .And Yvonne De Carlo is not even given the best female part!She has to be content with the part of INES -which was fleshed out whereas it was a secondary character in the original- the mistress the buck is not in love anymore with.She and Peter Lorre are the only positive elements of an appalling film noir. And if it were not enough ,the final ship is replaced by a plane,which is much less romantic .For the record,the third remake is an Italian spoof called "Toto Le Moko".

alecson I was 15 when I first saw this film. Tony Martin played Pepe le Moko. I wanted to be like him. Because when you're 15 you think of how lucky you must be to play opposite beautiful girls such as Yvonne De Carlo and Marta Toren. These three actor/actresses had much more talent than they were given credit for. Tony seems cast perfectly as the gangster, yet no director gave him another chance in that type of roll. Unfortunately the gorgeous Marta Toren died several years later. But Yvonne carried on, appearing in other good films and the Munsters TV series. I hear she is now living in California. Good luck to her. Thanks for the memories (especially Casbah)

ronnmullen This strange little item is a remake of the 1938 film "Algiers" which starred Charles Boyer and Hedy Lamarr, which itself was a remake of a French film of the previous year, called "Pepe LeMoko." The 1938 version made stars of Boyer and Lamarr; Tony Martin (who was married to dancer Cyd Charisse) and Marta Toren were not so lucky. Both were physically attractive enough but lacked the panache and charisma to capture the movie going public's loyalty. DeCarlo held her own in the film in a secondary role in a period when Universal was trying to figure out what to do with her -- the camp era was over -- no more "Salome" or "Sheherazade" for her. She did some fine work in film noir during this time -- "Brute Force" and "Criss Cross" in particular. (If you look real close at the Katherine Dunham Dance Troupe -- you might spot a young dancer named Eartha Kitt who made quite a name for herself a bit later, as a singer.)