User:Loretta Castorini/Pépé le Moko

Release
The enforcement of the Hays Code presented difficulties in showing the film to American audiences. Though the film was accepted and praised by critics, it could not be shown uncensored in theaters that were part of the Hays Organization. The edits required by the Hays Organization included deleting scenes that referenced Pépé's promiscuity and the suicide at the end of the film. Wanger, after deciding to distribute the film in America, participated in heated discussions with the Hays Organization about the edits. Eventually however, the film was shown to American audiences by adhering to the fewer required edits of the state censorship boards rather than the Hays Code. The film was distributed with relative ease in France.

Awards and honors
The film won the award for Best Foreign Film from the National Board of Review in 1941. The director, Julien Duvivier won the award for Best Foreign Language Film at the Kinema Junpo Awards in 1940.