Pepe le Moko

Julien Duvivier’s film “Pépé le Moko” is a remarkable story, and a

powerful personal account of French colonial life. The socio-political subtext of

the story is an important one, which brings to the forefront the particular allure of

Casbah and the idiosyncrasies of its inhabitants. This subtext of the narrative

connotes the desire and fascination with the exotic. Jean Gabin’s character is a

thief, who while running from the law becomes immersed in the maze of the city

of Casbah. In light of Edward Said’s ideas of Orientalism, specifically in terms of

the cultural exchanges that take place in the affiliation of colonialism, the foreign

element (as an “other”) can become a model with which Western civilization

defines itself. The character Pépé is stimulated by the idea of the other. Pépé is a

native Parisian that hides within the walls of Casbah. He familiarizes himself with

the Algerian city and uses it as a boundary between himself and the consequences

that have been imposed on him by the French officials. Once this city becomes

common to him, he takes on its properti...