FanFare

[TRAILER] A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu (Pierre Fresnay) and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal (Jean Gabin), grapple with their own class differences after being captured and held in a World War I German prison camp. When the men are transferred to a high-security fortress, they must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein (Erich von Stroheim), who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu. [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown on Feb 28, 2024 - 6 comments

Pépé le Moko, one of France's most wanted criminals, hides out in the Casbah of Algiers where he has connections, admiration, and even love -- but if he steps outside the native quarter, the police will grab him, for they surround and block the Casbah. It's a tolerable stalemate, until Pépé meets Gaby, a diamond-bedecked Parisienne who wanders into trouble while slumming with her friends. The 1938 American remake Algiers inspired both Pepe le Pew and Casablanca; the lineage is plain to see in the original film too. [more inside]
posted by fleacircus on Aug 12, 2021 - 4 comments