Charles Boyer
Pepe le Moko
Subtitles off by default
YouTube may apply your personal preferences. If needed, select your language under CC / Settings. YouTube controls playback availability, which may vary by region.
Audience rating
Loading ratings…
Synopsis
A wanted jewel thief has found protection in the winding streets of the Casbah, but the refuge is also a prison. A visitor from France awakens his longing for another life and draws the attention of a patient inspector. Desire becomes the opening through which the outside world can finally reach him.
Cast
DirectorsJohn Cromwell
Inspirations
The film remakes the French Pépé le Moko, itself adapted from Henri La Barthe's novel. Producer Walter Wanger acquired the earlier film's rights and sought to prevent it from competing with the remake in the United States.
Behind the scenes
Hedy Lamarr made her Hollywood debut here. Charles Boyer later described the discomfort of following Jean Gabin's performance closely, making the production an illuminating case of the tension between faithful remaking and an actor's own interpretation.
Sources and availability
The synopsis and editorial text were written for this collection. The references below were cross-checked to identify the film and its copy; each editorial section identifies its reference.
Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.
The reference concerns the original work. Restorations, colorization, translations and other territories may have different conditions. This site uses the player enabled by the channel.
Availability checked on September 10, 2026.
Photograph credit
Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.
- Charles Boyer — Uncredited · Public domain
- Sigrid Gurie — United Artists · Public domain
- Hedy Lamarr — Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain
- Alan Hale Sr. — Unknown author · Public domain
