Morocco (1930)

100% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
72% of users liked it
(1,181 ratings)

Like so many campaigners before him, Gary Cooper joins the Foreign Legion to "forget." At a smoky cabaret in Morocco, Cooper meets café entertainer Marlene Dietrich (making her American film debut). A woman with a very checkered past, Dietrich toys with the callow Cooper, but eventually falls… More Like so many campaigners before him, Gary Cooper joins the Foreign Legion to "forget." At a smoky cabaret in Morocco, Cooper meets café entertainer Marlene Dietrich (making her American film debut). A woman with a very checkered past, Dietrich toys with the callow Cooper, but eventually falls hopelessly in love with him, even to the extent of throwing over wealthy Adolphe Menjou. The now-famous final image of Morocco finds la Dietrich, decked out in her cabaret finery and wearing high heels, heading after Cooper's regiment across the desert with the rest of the "camp followers." There is considerably more to the story than that, but these bare-bones details should be enough to entice anyone familiar with the exotic eroticism of the Josef von Sternberg/Marlene Dietrich vehicles. Should you need more enticement, let us inform you that Morocco is the film in which Marlene Dietrich, dressed in a man's tuxedo for her nightclub act, kisses a female patron squarely on the lips. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: Josef von Sternberg
Written By: Jules Furthman
Genres: Drama, Romance, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1930 Wide

Critic Reviews

Richard T. Jameson, Parallax View
Watching Dietrich occupy cinematic space is one of the most intoxicating experiences that movies afford.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Over the years, Marlene Dietrich's androgyny (kissing a woman on the mouth) and the last, campy image, in which she removes her high-heel shoes and follows Gary Cooper into the desert, have received more critical attention than any other aspect.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Enjoyable as lightweight entertainment.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Essential Sternberg.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Veronique K

the notable legendary bond of marlene dietrich/joserf von sternberg in the 30s...particularly the one scene dietrich wears tuxedo strutting imperiously then kisses a woman arrogantly as if she were a man that was deemed defyingly ultra-sexy in a conservative time of 30s...dietrich… More
the notable legendary bond of marlene dietrich/joserf von sternberg in the 30s...particularly the one scene dietrich wears tuxedo strutting imperiously then kisses a woman arrogantly as if she were a man that was deemed defyingly ultra-sexy in a conservative time of 30s...dietrich became the female martini idol who made millions of closet lesbians drooling endlessly, and also titilated male audience with a provocative sense of vanquishing lust.....except this offbeat gendre-ambiguous breakthru and sternberg's artsy lighting in black and white, the rest of the movie sinks into a conventional mode of love story between cabaret singer and a flippant soldier(gary cooper) trapped by the circumstance of war and seedy past...of course there's an un-requited suave provider (adolpe menjou) who loves her unconditionally but only rewarded with a hasty big hug rushly like an unworthy sap. could "morcocco" be considered milestone of feministic assertion since dietrich built her self-sufficient vixen facade by this movie?... perhaps not. it might be an intense feministic declaration of self-choasen will for love since she selects to chase behind the soldier barefoot in the desert (who flings around with women and could offer nothing but a wide innocent smile) instead of the selflessly patient gentleman who politely awaits her in the cozy limousine....it is a strong sense of self-chosen will indeed, but ironically it's like being the necglectful queen of an respectful worshiper but an romorseless dedicated slave to a ghetto hulk. somehow sadistically mosochistic. just like one fashion editor once remarks, dietrich combines the dublicity of a queen and a whore. maybe behind the grandeur facade of every shrewd vixen dwells a soul of petite woman who clings even to the shade silhouette of her beloved man. perhaps ideologically speaking, it's deliberantly arranged so since the bourgeois mass(the majority of movie-goers) would identify more with cooper machismo than the polished chivalry of adolphe menjou. something worthy a mention, adolphe menjou was spotted as the typecasting of charming rich gentleman since charlie chaplin's "a woman of paris", and menjou was prestigous for his appropritately aristocratic presence...maybe only william power could be the competent equivalent for his rackishly witty image in "the thin man" series.
Cindy I

You think you're in love? Watch this and you might want to reexamine. One of the most romantic endings ever.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic][color=navy]"A Farewell to Arms" starts out in Itay in World War I. Catherine(Helen Hayes) is a nurse from England. Frederic(Gary Cooper) is an expatriate from the United States, former architecture student and now an ambulance driver. They meet and… More
[font=Century Gothic][color=navy]"A Farewell to Arms" starts out in Itay in World War I. Catherine(Helen Hayes) is a nurse from England. Frederic(Gary Cooper) is an expatriate from the United States, former architecture student and now an ambulance driver. They meet and fall in love. This is an undeniably romantic film about people who live life with the constant possibility that it could all end tomorrow. But the finale is certainly over the top and Adolphe Menjou sports a rather comical Italian accent.[/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#000080][/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=darkgreen]"Morocco" is about a vaudeville performer, Amy Jolly(Marlene Dietrich), who is on her way to colonial Morocco, apparently to get away from someone or something. On the way there, she meets a wealthy businessman(Adolphe Menjou). At her debut performance in Morocco, she wears a tuxedo, flirts with men as well as women and encounters roguish Foreign Legionnaire, Tom Brown(Gary Cooper) in the cheap seats. Brown apparently has a woman at every oasis. "Morocco" is an enjoyable film about finding love in the least likeliest places.[/color][/font]
Anastasia B

This absolutely iconic film has remained in cinema history for the famous crossdressing scene, where Marlene Dietrich in a frock-coat sings and flirts with both men and women (landing a pretty impressive kiss on one of the female spectators). That's ofcourse before she falls… More
This absolutely iconic film has remained in cinema history for the famous crossdressing scene, where Marlene Dietrich in a frock-coat sings and flirts with both men and women (landing a pretty impressive kiss on one of the female spectators). That's ofcourse before she falls stupidly in love with one of the soldiers who is as infatuated as she is, only he won't admit it to anyone but himself. That being said, you have nothing more to expect from this film (ok it was the 30s and that was pretty advanced even for that day and age). Impressive American debut for Marlene but a fairly average film for the abilities of Josef Von Sternberg.