Morocco (1930)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Josef von Sternberg

Writers:

Benno Vigny (play)
Jules Furthman (adaptation)

Release Date:

6 December 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Drama

Plot:

The Foreign Legion marches in to Mogador with booze and women in mind just as singer Amy Jolly arrives from Paris to work at Lo Tinto's cabaret...

Plot Keywords:

Singer | Foreign Legion | Romantic Rivalry | Army | Topless

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 2 wins

Cast

Gary Cooper	...	Légionnaire Tom Brown
Marlene Dietrich	...	Mademoiselle Amy Jolly
Adolphe Menjou	...	Monsieur La Bessiere
Ullrich Haupt	...	Adjutant Caesar
Eve Southern	...	Madame Caesar
Francis McDonald	...	A Sergeant
Paul Porcasi	...	Lo Tinto, Nightclub Owner

Also Known As:

Amy Jolly (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:18 | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Guadalupe Sand Dunes, Santa Barbara County, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.

Quotes:

Tom Brown: I'd sit down if I were you.
Amy Jolly: You are pretty brave... with women.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sesión continua (1984)

Soundtrack:

Quand l'amour meurt

Stunning Ending

MOROCCO is first and foremost an atmospheric film. Anyone who looks for more didn't understand what Josef von Sternberg created here. It's pure atmosphere. A reverie. The film is at times creaky but it's understandable because it was made over 70 years ago! There are several stand-out scenes in MOROCCO, including the famous kiss scene and the one when Marlene breaks a pearl necklace but what makes this Sternberg film so memorable is the stunning ending. Suddenly, the creaky film looks positively contemporary. Are we really in 1930s and not the wild 1970s?!?! The brilliant ending MAKES the movie. Without it, it would probably have been an enjoyably moody but average 1930s flick. With it, MOROCCO becomes a timeless classic. It's probably the most stunning ending ever made, with so many layers of meaning with that one prolonged static shot. It's visually brilliant and sexy on so many levels.