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      Desire

      Released Apr 11, 1936 1h 29m Romance List
      100% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 78% Audience Score 250+ Ratings A French jewel thief (Marlene Dietrich) speeds to Spain with pearls, which she drops in the pocket of a U.S. engineer (Gary Cooper). Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

      View All (9) Critics Reviews
      Dan Callahan Slant Magazine Desire is a most unusual and extremely fertile example of artistic cross-pollination between two very different auteurs: Frank Borzage and Ernst Lubitsch. Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 28, 2006 Full Review Raquel Stecher Out of the Past a dazzling romantic drama bolstered by its two magnetic leads. Oct 20, 2022 Full Review Kathy Fennessy Video Librarian Magazine Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper proved a winning team in Joseph von Sternberg's 1930 Morocco, and sparks reignite in Desire. Rated: 3.5/4 Sep 22, 2021 Full Review Frank J. Avella Edge Media Network Cooper is charming, hilarious, sweet - and that smile is so swoon-worthy. It's one of his best performances. Dietrich is enchanting. She gets to play at mysterious, sultry, seductive and, yes, she sings! Rated: A Aug 20, 2021 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid Not particularly known for comedies, director Frank Borzage made a sparking gem of one with 'Desire.' Rated: 4/4 Aug 13, 2021 Full Review Meyer Levin (Patterson Murphy) Esquire Magazine Cooper catches the light note perfectly, and Marlene is brighter than in many recent efforts. Apr 17, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (13) audience reviews
      Audience Member After one of the most elaborate jewel heists in European history — in which our female protagonists convinces not just one, but two men that she's about to marry them — Madeleine de Beaupre (Marlene Dietrich) has escaped with a small fortune of pearls. On her way to Spain to fence the goods, she runs into car trouble and is helped by Tom Bradley (Gary Cooper), a kindly American who just wants to help. She leaves him behind but he accidentally ends up with the hot pearls. That means that she has to romance him in the hopes of getting them back. But what happens when she falls for someone instead of just trying to work them? A remake of Happy Days in Aranjuez, which was based on the play Die Schönen Tage von Aranjuez, by Hans Székely and Robert A. Stemmle, this movie was supposed to be the comeback movie for John Gilbert after a series of failures. Only days before shooting started, he had a heart attack and got replaced by John Halliday. Supposedly, Gilbert and Dietrich were living together when she tried to use her influence to have him cast opposite her. However, she withdrew her support when he started seeing former fiancée Greta Garbo again. Dietrich then got back with Gary Cooper and Gilbert had a fatal heart attack occurred on the same day that Cooper's casting was officially announced by Paramount. Dietrich spoke highly of this movie, saying: "The only film I need not be ashamed of is Desire…" and "Desire became a good film and, moreover, also proved to be a box-office success. The script was excellent, the roles superb – one more proof that these elements are more important than actors." She must have really enjoyed this movie, because she played the role at least two more times in radio adaptions. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member The best romance movie ever made! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review ashley h Desire is an excellent film. It is about an automotive engineer bound for a holiday in Spain who meets a sultry jewel thief. Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper give incredible performances. The screenplay is well written. Frank Borzage did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the drama and romance. Desire is a must see. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member #2 ngpairi oof cooper & dietrich the 1st was 'morocco' pre-code sizzler Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member "Don't underestimate America, it's a big country... " Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Funny romantic comedy about an engineer who falls in love with a jewel thief. Gary Cooper is sweet and Marlene Dietrich exquisitely beautiful. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      Desire

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis A French jewel thief (Marlene Dietrich) speeds to Spain with pearls, which she drops in the pocket of a U.S. engineer (Gary Cooper).
      Director
      Frank Borzage
      Producer
      Henry Herzbrun
      Screenwriter
      Edwin Justus Mayer, Waldemar Young, Samuel Hoffenstein
      Distributor
      Paramount Pictures
      Production Co
      Paramount Pictures
      Genre
      Romance
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Apr 11, 1936, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Oct 8, 2020
      Runtime
      1h 29m
      Sound Mix
      Stereo