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

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

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Assuming its copyright has not lapsed already, this film and all others produced in 1930 enter the U.S. public domain in 2026.

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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

Referenced in Crazy Love: Janet Bergstrom on Josef von Sternberg's 'Morocco' (2018)

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Soundtracks

What Am I Bid for My Apple?
(1930) (uncredited)
Music by Karl Hajos
Lyrics by Leo Robin
Sung by Marlene Dietrich in Lo Tinto's nightclub

User Reviews

Cooper and Dietrich size each other up in sultry "Morocco"...

MOROCCO is exactly the sort of film you'd expect to find MARLENE DIETRICH in at this early point in her career as the seductress working as a cabaret singer where she attracts the attention of a young legionnaire GARY COOPER and a wealthy older man, ADOLPHE MENJOU. There's never any doubt that the screen chemistry between Dietrich and Cooper in the first cabaret scene will lead to their ultimate romantic attachment, but some viewers will be surprised at the film's memorable ending.

It's easy to see that sound was new when this was made. Some of the dialog sounds stilted and words are spoken more slowly than necessary even by pros like Menjou to make sure the microphone catches every syllable. But the story moves at a nice pace, the exotic settings are photographed in subtle shadings of B&W, and Dietrich gets to warble a few songs in that inimitable style, although her voice sounded much better later on in her career when technical improvements in sound helped improve the quality of her husky vocalizing.

It's a pleasure to see the young GARY COOPER in an early understated performance opposite the sizzling MARLENE DIETRICH--both contribute to the eye candy appeal of a rather sultry epic from Von Sternberg.