Morocco (1930)

A cabaret singer and a Legionnaire fall in love, but their relationship is complicated by the results of his womanizing and due to the appearance of a rich man who wants her for himself.

Director:

Josef von Sternberg (as Josef Von Sternberg)

Writers:

Jules Furthman (adapted by), Benno Vigny (from the play "Amy Jolly" by)

Stars:

Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich, Adolphe Menjou

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 3 wins.

Cast

Complete credited 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	...	Sergeant Tatoche
Paul Porcasi	...	Lo Tinto

Storyline

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. That night, insouciant legionnaire Tom Brown catches her inimitably seductive, tuxedo-clad act. Both bruised by their past lives, the two edge cautiously into a no-strings relationship while being pursued by others. But Tom must leave on a perilous mission: is it too late for them?

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Plot Keywords:

love | legionnaire | singer | nightclub | foreign legion | 

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Taglines:

Dedicated to the Legion of Women Who, Without Uniforms, Flags or Glory, Follow Their Men Into Danger and Death! (Print Ad- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, ((Pittsburgh, Penna.)) 5 December 1930)

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie was made and released about three years after its source novel "Amy Jolly, die Frau aus Marrakesch" (Amy Jolly, the Woman from Marrakesh) by Benno Vigny was first published in 1927.

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Goofs

The bottle of gin that Amy takes from the it's place on the shelf is just about full, yet when she pours a drink for Tom Brown, the liquid is a couple of inches down.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sergeant Tatoche: Now listen here, fat-heads. We're back home again and that's because we did a little fighting. And I know what you're thinking. You're thinking: Well, here comes us, The Foreign Legion. Each man a hero, all the booze in the world made for us, and the women thrown in. But, you're wrong. This time, you're gonna behave yourselves like gentlemen even if it'll kills you. Yes, I'm talking to you, you heard what I said!

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Connections

Spoofed in Love-Tails of Morocco (1931)

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Soundtracks

Give Me the Man
(1930) (uncredited)
Music by Karl Hajos
Lyrics by Leo Robin
Written for the movie and possibly played as background music

User Reviews

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Spanish Arabic Italian

Release Date:

6 December 1930 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amy Jolly

Filming Locations:

Yuma, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$191

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1