ALGIERS (1938) Charles Boyer, Hedy Lamar & Sigrid Gurie | Drama, Mystery, Romance | B&W

Algiers is a 1938 American drama film directed by John Cromwell and starring Charles Boyer, Sigrid Gurie, and Hedy Lamarr. Written by John Howard Lawson, the film is about a notorious French jewel thief hiding in the labyrinthine native quarter of Algiers known as the Casbah. Feeling imprisoned by his self-imposed exile, he is drawn out of hiding by a beautiful French tourist who reminds him of happier times in Paris. The Walter Wanger production was a remake of the successful 1937 French film Pépé le Moko, which derived its plot from the Henri La Barthe novel of the same name.

SYNOPSIS
A wanted jewel thief ensconced in the Casbah meets a beautiful woman who makes him long for an escape.

Pepe le Moko is a notorious thief, who, after his last great heist, escaped from France to Algeria. Since his escape, le Moko became a resident and leader of the immense Casbah, or "native quarter", of Algiers. French officials who arrive insisting on Pepe's capture are met with unfazed local detectives, led by Inspector Slimane, who are biding their time. Meanwhile, Pepe begins to feel increasingly trapped in his prison-like stronghold, a feeling which intensifies after meeting the beautiful Gaby, who is visiting from France. His love for Gaby soon arouses the jealousy of Ines, Pepe's Algerian mistress.

CAST & CREW
Charles Boyer as Pepe le Moko
Sigrid Gurie as Ines
Hedy Lamarr as Gaby
Joseph Calleia as Inspector Slimane
Alan Hale as Grandpere
Gene Lockhart as Regis
Walter Kingsford as Chief Inspector Louvain
Paul Harvey as Commissioner Janvier
Stanley Fields as Carlos
Johnny Downs as Pierrot
Charles D. Brown as Max
Robert Greig as Giraux
Leonid Kinskey as L'Arbi
Joan Woodbury as Aicha
Nina Koshetz as Tania
Claudia Dell as Marie
Ben Hall as Gil
Bert Roach as Bertier

Directed by John Cromwell
Screenplay by John Howard Lawson, James M. Cain (additional dialogue)
Based on Pépé le Moko (1937 novel) by Henri La Barthe, Pépé le Moko
(1937 film)
Produced by Walter Wanger
Cinematography James Wong Howe
Edited by Otho Lovering, William H. Reynolds
Music by Vincent Scotto, Mohamed Ygerbuchen
Production company Walter Wanger Productions
Distributed by United Artists
Release date August 5, 1938
Running time 99 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $691,833
Box office $951,801

NOTES
Algiers was a sensation because it was the first Hollywood film starring Hedy Lamarr, whose beauty became the main attraction for film audiences. The film is notable as one of the sources of inspiration to the screenwriters of the 1942 Warner Bros. film Casablanca, who wrote it with Hedy Lamarr in mind as the original female lead. Charles Boyer's depiction of Pepe le Moko inspired the Warner Bros. animated character Pepé Le Pew. In 1966, the film entered the public domain in the United States because the claimants did not renew its copyright registration in the 28th year after publication.

Austrian actress Hedy Lamarr made her American film debut in Algiers, although she was already known for her appearance in the 1933 Czech film Ecstasy, in which she appeared nude. Howard Dietz, the head of MGM's publicity department, quizzed her about this, and she admitted to having appeared nude. "Did you look good?", he asked. "Of course!" "Then it's all right", he said, "no damage has been done."

Walter Wanger, the producer of Algiers, purchased the rights to the French film Pepe le Moko in order to remake it, and bought all prints of the film to prevent it from competing with his film in the U.S. Wanger used most of the music from the French film in this remake as well as background sequences.

Backgrounds and exteriors for the film were shot in Algiers by a photographer named Knechtel, who was based in London. These photographs were integrated into the film by cinematographer James Wong Howe.

United Artists had considered Ingrid Bergman, Dolores del Río, and Sylvia Sidney for the female lead, but, as Boyer tells it, he met Hedy Lamarr at a party and introduced her to Wanger as a possibility for his co-lead. Cromwell says about Lamarr that she could not act. "After you've been in the business for a time, you can tell easily enough right when you meet them. I could sense her inadequacy, Wanger could sense it, and I could see Boyer getting worried even before we started talking behind Hedy's back...Sometimes the word personality is interchangeable with presence although they aren't the same thing. But the principle applies, and Hedy also had no personality. How could they think she could become a second Garbo?...I'll take some credit for making her acting passable but can only share credit with Boyer fifty-fifty."

Academy Awards
Best Actor (nomination) – Charles Boyer
Best Supporting Actor (nomination) – Gene Lockhart
Best Art Direction (nomination) – Alexander Toluboff
Best Cinematography (nomination) – James Wong Howe