Algiers

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite
Review: Charles Boyer is a famous jewel thief hiding out in the Casbah, a section of Algiers famous for its winding streets and a perfect place to hide from the police. He has a network of friends who help him, and all is good until a beautiful woman played by Hedy Lamarr enters and makes him remember Paris and love and the things he can no longer have while he is trapped in the Casbah. Boyer is excellent as the edgy, clever thief, making the caged situation of his character very real. Lamarr is beautiful, but a block of wood as an actress. Gene Lockhart is very good as the man who informs on Boyer, while the rest of the supporting cast is adequate. Time has not been good to the prints of this film, and the quality of the image is poor, although that does add to the feeling of being undercover in the Casbah. The director most have come from silent films, because the pacing and certain angles and shots are reminiscent of that style, although they are not appropriate here. The film is worth watching to see Boyer's performance, but it is certainly not a must-see.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie / average DVD
Review: I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed "Algiers". The combination of plot, atmosphere, music, and great character acting moved the film right along and kept my interest. It's easy to see that this is what Warner Brothers had in mind when they made "Casablanca", and while "Casablanca" is a much better film, "Algiers" certainly does not deserve to sink into oblivion.

Charles Boyer does a fine job as a charming Parisian jewel thief hiding out in the "casbah" of Algiers (then a French colony); Hedy Lamarr, as the slumming tourist, is also very good. There are good supporting actors in most of the other parts, including Alan Hale (senior), father of Alan Hale (junior) who was "Skipper" on TV's "Gilligan's Island". Gene Lockhart, as the betrayer, is also a standout.

The "casbah" itself, part North African/part Hollywood, is also a star here. Lots of good set design and camerawork (James Wong Howe). I was curious about the music: it's partially credited to "Mohammed Igarbouchen" (a.k.a. Mohamed Ygerbuchen) and I found that he also did the music for the French "Pépé le Moko" of which "Algiers" was a re-make.

-- A word about the DVD: millions of dollars were not spent to restore picture and sound quality and provide lots of extras. Too bad. This DVD, from Alpha Video, is just the movie. The overall quality is not pristine. There are some scratches on the film and some noise on the soundtrack. A film from 1938 could look and sound a lot better. It looks like what's on the DVD probably came from a made-for-TV print, because the picture is slightly enlarged to completely fill the screen. This is obvious at the beginning when part of the credits text is off the edge of the screen. Still, as of this time, this is your only chance to get "Algiers" on DVD, and Alpha Video offers it at a bargain price; my recommendation is "buy it".

Rating:
Summary: Great movie / average DVD
Review: I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed "Algiers". The combination of plot, atmosphere, music, and great character acting moved the film right along and kept my interest. It's easy to see that this is what Warner Brothers had in mind when they made "Casablanca", and while "Casablanca" is a much better film, "Algiers" certainly does not deserve to sink into oblivion.

Charles Boyer does a fine job as a charming Parisian jewel thief hiding out in the "casbah" of Algiers (then a French colony); Hedy Lamarr, as the slumming tourist, is also very good. There are good supporting actors in most of the other parts, including Alan Hale (senior), father of Alan Hale (junior) who was "Skipper" on TV's "Gilligan's Island". Gene Lockhart, as the betrayer, is also a standout.

The "casbah" itself, part North African/part Hollywood, is also a star here. Lots of good set design and camerawork (James Wong Howe). I was curious about the music: it's partially credited to "Mohammed Igarbouchen" (a.k.a. Mohamed Ygerbuchen) and I found that he also did the music for the French "Pépé le Moko" of which "Algiers" was a re-make.

-- A word about the DVD: millions of dollars were not spent to restore picture and sound quality and provide lots of extras. Too bad. This DVD, from Alpha Video, is just the movie. The overall quality is not pristine. There are some scratches on the film and some noise on the soundtrack. A film from 1938 could look and sound a lot better. It looks like what's on the DVD probably came from a made-for-TV print, because the picture is slightly enlarged to completely fill the screen. This is obvious at the beginning when part of the credits text is off the edge of the screen. Still, as of this time, this is your only chance to get "Algiers" on DVD, and Alpha Video offers it at a bargain price; my recommendation is "buy it".

Rating:
Summary: An interesting film, nothing more
Review: MY RATING- 7.1

I watched this mov, knowing the legendary quote associated to Charles Boyer- "Come with me to Casbah". However, that's is only a legend and he never said that in this film.
This is the remake of a french mov (they say the original is the best) about Pepe Le Moko, the famous french robber hunted by the police, is brilliantly played by Charles Boyer. He has such a deep, velvet voice that I like to imitate!
Hedy Lamarr is exoticly beautiful, and she matches very well with Boyer as lovers. However, I feel that the romance is not very plausible, we don't feel passion as in Casablanca, for instance.
The supporting cast has a young and capable Joseph Calleia as the inspector of rotten Casbah and Gene Lockhart giving a fine but dated performance as a double-crosser.
Oscar nominations for Boyer, Lockhart, Art Direction and cinematography.
I'm still looking for the french version-this one is so so.

Rating:
Summary: Refuge, jail, escape, all the same!
Review: That one sure is a great film, not so much in the action or the exotic description of the Casbah of Algiers, but in the impotence of Parisian policemen to get a criminal who has found refuge in this Casbah, in the patience and the certainty of the Algerian policeman who knows the criminal will fall sooner or later, in the method used by this Algerian policeman to trap the criminal out of the Casbah. Just use the simplest trap ever : a Parisian woman who is going to fascinate him in and out of his Casbah. The refuge then becomes a prison. The woman then becomes the bait used by the Algerian policeman. The criminal's girlfriend becomes the informer of the Algerian policeman, and this is not a crime since he is Algerian and not French and since she is preventing her lover from falling into the arms of what has to be a trap or some bait and not a prize. And then, when taken and handcuffed, he will have to get himself shot in the back by some French policeman, under the unmoved and unmoving eye of the Algerian policeman to escape the prison that is awaiting him in Paris. Hence it is the story of a refuge turned into a prison, of an affair turned into a trap and of an arrest turned into an escape. Pepe le Moko is the best after all and no one can ever trap him and put him or keep him in any kind of jail.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

Rating:
Summary: Algiers
Review: This 1938 film is a remake of a infinitely superior French film Pepe La Moko, which starred Jean Gabin. Charles Boyer takes Gabin's old role as a notorious jewel thief who hides out in the Casbah in Algiers. Boyer, possibly a better actor than Gabin, is reduced to giving hot, passionate looks at the inhumanly beautiful Hedy Lamarr, who plays a Parisienne Society Beauty that Boyer falls for. Lamarr, with her slurry German-English hardly sounds like she's from Paris however. In short, this is a pure Hollywood remake, sacrificing eveything to glamour, with the over-made up actors and actresses. Even the sets look ... (the incopetent lighting gives it all away). But that isn't to say the picutre isn't entertaining; the pleasures are held mainly in the camp division.

Rating:
Summary: Welcome to my World: The Casbah
Review: This film is very intelligent. I liked the plot and the dialog was very good, witty and clever.I loved the shadow and light in the casbah. I think this film was perfect for black and white. Mysterious,hidden and devious is what the color and Casbah portray, following the lines of the story. Boyer is so perfect in his role as Pepe Le Moko, jewel thief, hiding in the Casbah so as not to get arrested and extradited to his hometown, Paris, France. How he misses his home but if he goes out of the Casbah he is sure to get captured. He meets the beautiful and regal Hedy Lamarr, honest and forthright. She represents his home and he falls in love. One scene really got the emotions down pat, it showed Boyer going crazy from being trapped in the Casbah, the drums beating, the furor of his trapped feeling, you can see the panic mounting in him. This really was a wonderful movie! They based the cartoon character of Pepe Le Pue on Pepe Le Moko. Ending was also quite original and different. Some of the film is old and may cut out sometimes but still I didn't care this was a really great movie! I long to visit the Casbah!!
Lisa Nary

Rating:
Summary: Extremely bad DVD quality
Review: This movie is 1930's history. It's always fun to see a great cast like Boyer & Lamarr. But this print that was put on DVD is unwatchable. Grainy, jumpy, inaudible, faded - and this is being kind. At one point, there was even a double soundtrack being heard. I strongly advise - let's put a stop to this type of DVD being offered to the public. DVD's are a marvel to watch. It's a crime when you are subjected to this type of mess!!DO NOT BUY IT!

Rating:
Summary: NORWEGIAN FAILED 2 OUTDO LAMARR
Review: This was the reamke of a French original. Goldwyn wanted his Garbo(SIGRID GURIE) to do it... Sigrid later said that they all pitied Hedy Lamarr because she was thought to be a common girl after her nude footage in the film Exctasy 1933. MGM`s Mayer indeed was not sure of Lamarr was good enough for the MGM family and borrowed her to Walter Wanger.
As it turned out; Lamarr became a sensation, Gurie NOT! However, Lamarr did many a film but only the 1949 SAMSON AND DALILAH was an equal hit a`la ALGIERS.

ALGIERS had a poor print on video, but even on DVD the print is much 2 muddy. It is a shame, because it has an authentic feel... Indeed - when producing CASABLANCA, they hoped they coild achieve something like ALGIERS. However, faith was not kind and CASABLANCA is the eternal classic. If u want 2 c Sigrid do a good performance, check out THREE FACES WEST with John Wayne and THE ADVENTURES OF MARCO POLO with Gary Cooper.

Rating:
Summary: Probably The Most Beautiful Woman Ever On Film
Review: What at first appears to be a somewhat film becomes fascinating, full of atmosphere and great camera work. Boyer is at the peak of his charm. But the real reason to see the film is Hedy Lamarr. She was probably the most beautiful woman ever on film and at her most ravishing in this film. I sat stunned at her incredible beauty which has never quite been duplicated although Ava Gardner came close. A.Kaufman, New York, New York