“Jean Grémillon’s striking adaptation of an André Boucler novel stars Jean Gabin as a Don Juan of the French Foreign Legion who sets his sights on seducing Mireille Balin—and accidentally falls in love for real. The atmospheric work of cinematographer Günther Rittau (The Blue Angel) connects Grémillon’s film to the legacy of German expressionism, while the electric reunion of Pépé le Moko co-stars Gabin and Balin and the film’s pervasive air of tragic romantic fatalism show an affinity with French poetic realism.” -Metrograph
4K restoration from the original negative by Hiventy. Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the Cannes Classics section.
