When Walter Wanger produced Algiers (1938), the American remake, he tried to have all copies of this movie destroyed. Fortunately, he was not able to do so.
According to a BBC documentary, it served as inspiration for Graham Greene's acclaimed novel, The Third Man.
The attention to detail regarding North African life is exceptional. While Pépé bemoans his fate, Inès is seen cooking. The vessel she uses is a traditional couscoussier, which is common throughout North Africa. Also note the cat sitting nearby - both a pet and a necessity in the Casbah, as mice and rats abounded.
The ship seen at the end of the film was the then brand new Ville d'Oran (City of Oran), built in 1936 for the North African Lines, sailing between France and North Africa. Captured by the Allies at Algiers in 1942, it was used as a troop transport during WWII. It returned to passenger service in 1946, was sold to a Greek concern in 1965 and was scrapped at Trieste in 1970.
Only some exterior shots were filmed in Algiers, with most of the production taking place in a studio-recreated Casbah near Paris. Thus actress Mireille Balin never set foot in the city and scenes with her character on the boat were filmed with a body double.
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