Casbah (1948)

Casbah (1948). 1h 34m | Not Rated

“If you donu0026#39;t recall seeing this featured in any of the u0026quot;Thatu0026#39;s Entertainmentu0026quot; anthologies, itu0026#39;s because this black-and-white postwar romance with songs is considerably darker and more sophisticated than the usual Hollywood musical. A considerable improvement over the 1938 Americanization of u0026quot;Pepe Le Moko,u0026quot; the logy Charles Boyer vehicle u0026quot;Algiers,u0026quot; this not only integrates a few well-chosen musical numbers featuring Martin, Yvonne de Carlo and the Katherine Dunham Dancers into the old story, but adds a refreshing note of humor and playfulness. Martin isnu0026#39;t bad at all as the surly, sexy gangster Pepe, who was always one-dimensional anyway. Peter Lorre is the dream Slimane that he should have played ten years earlier in the Boyer film (though Lorreu0026#39;s often credited as being in u0026quot;Algiers,u0026quot; it was actually Joseph Calleia who played Slimane in that film), and Marta Torenu0026#39;s bittersweet siren is seductively reminiscent of Valli in u0026quot;The Third Man.u0026quot;”