The benchmark performance in the stereotyping of Charles Boyer. I had never seen the film before and didn't realize that like "Play it again, Sam," he never utters the line "Come with me to the Casbah." I'm glad I saw it for Boyer's performance which is quite well sustained. He is truly a cad. He is truly a prisoner. Because of his success as a jewel thief, he can never leave the Casbah. The police play a waiting game. It's that old respect thing where he becomes the object of their searches and always manages to get away; his legend is greater than his being. However, it always gets us in the end, doesn't it? There are some nice performances and I always like films set in those desert cultures of the thirties and forties. I'm glad I saw it because it filled a hole in my movie knowledge.
