Pépé le Moko (1937)
Pépé le Moko (French for "Pépé, the Toulon man") is a 1937 French film directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Jean Gabin. It depicts an infamous gangster, nicknamed Pépé le Moko ('Moko' is slang for a man from Toulon). The film is based on Henri La Barthe's novel of the same name; La Barthe contributed to the screenplay under the pseudonym "Détective Ashelbé". Pépé le Moko is an example of the 1930s French movement known as poetic realism, which combines gritty realism with occasional flashes of unusual cinematic tricks. The film is often considered an early predecessor of film noir.
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