Morocco

Released Nov 14, 1930

1h 30m

Romance

List

83%

Tomatometer

24 Reviews

70%

Audience Score

1,000+ Ratings

World-weary chanteuse Amy Jolly (Marlene Dietrich) arrives in Morocco on the same ship as wealthy playboy La Bessiere (Adolphe Menjou). Amy gets a job at a local club and attracts the attention of womanizing Legionnaire soldier Tom Brown (Gary Cooper), who visits her later. Discouraged by Amy's melancholy demeanor, Tom departs for another rendezvous. When Amy follows and is attacked by locals, Tom defends her -- which has consequences for him, Amy and the romantic hopes of La Bessiere.

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SMH Staff

Sydney Morning Herald

By clever acting and skilful production, strong dramatic interest is given to an ordinary love story in Morocco.

Apr 15, 2020

Full Review

Mordaunt Hall

New York Times

[Mr. von Sternberg] accepts absurdly improbable situations, and he is often guilty of extraordinarily abrupt happenings and inconsistent characterizations.

Apr 15, 2020

Full Review

Age Staff

The Age (Australia)

Von Sternberg, the producer, displays ingenuity in the invention of details about life in Morocco.

Apr 15, 2020

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Thanks to the careful character development, the main personas are exceptionally entertaining, despite the constant sense of ruin that hovers over their every embrace.

Rated: 9/10

Aug 29, 2022

Full Review

Jorge Luis Borges

Sur

One may watch Morocco with pleasure, but not with the intellectual satisfaction one gets from the first viewing (and even the second) of earlier works by von Sternberg.

Dec 15, 2021

Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Despite its pomposity and flamboyant performance from Marlene Dietrich, 'Morocco' is a pre-code melodrama lacking a few lights to illuminate its predictable romance. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 6/10

Oct 11, 2021

Full Review

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Alec B

A romance that is almost never romantic. Even the ending, which involves a grand gesture feels more sad than anything else.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/08/24

Full Review

Louisa E

Wow! The cinematography was so beautiful in this film. The acting was brilliant. The costumes and sets were gorgeous. The only negative to this movie is that there were some slow points of the film but overall, this is an amazing movie. I was haunted by the last scenes. I knew the ending was coming but the way they did it took my breath away. The gun scenes were so tense. The first quarter and last quarter of this movie were sublime; if the other half through the middle had the same punch, this would have been my favourite movie of the year. So it's my second favourite by a gnat. This one will stick with me. Loved it. 8.1/10.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/08/23

Full Review

brad h

A very boring, dole and slow movie.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film is about a cabaret singer, Amy Jolly (Dietrich), and a Legionnaire (Cooper) who fall in love during the Rif War in Spain and Morocco in the early 1920s. Their relationship is complicated due to his womanizing and the appearance of a rich man who is also in love with her. The film is famous for a scene featuring Dietrich in a man's top hat and tailcoat kissing another woman both of which were highly scandalous for the time. There is a lot to the film, especially a study of the different forms of masculinity as represented by Gary Cooper's Tom Brown, Adolphe Menjou's La Bessière, and Dietrich's character herself.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Beautiful scenery ruined by a terribly dull and unbelievable story. Woman comes to morocco to be a performer. Falls in love with a soldier who's a bland womanizer in one conversation. Leaves him for a millionaire who she also knows nothing about. In stark contrast to her speech about strong women. Then leaves in the desert for a man she just met.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film is famous for a scene in which Dietrich performs a song dressed in a man's tailcoat and kisses another woman, both of which were scandalous for the time. Sternberg was the first director to attain full mastery and control over what was essentially a new medium by restoring fluidity and beauty of the late silent period. One of the key elements in this was his understanding of the value of silence. Morocco contains long sections sustained only by its stunning visual beauty augmented with appropriate music and aural effects. The interchange of masculine and feminine characteristics was groundbreaking at the time.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

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Josef von Sternberg

Director

Gary Cooper

Légionnaire Tom Brown

Marlene Dietrich

Mademoiselle Amy Jolly

Adolphe Menjou

Monsieur La Bessiere

Ullrich Haupt

Adjutant Caesar

Eve Southern

Madame Caesar

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Synopsis

World-weary chanteuse Amy Jolly (Marlene Dietrich) arrives in Morocco on the same ship as wealthy playboy La Bessiere (Adolphe Menjou). Amy gets a job at a local club and attracts the attention of womanizing Legionnaire soldier Tom Brown (Gary Cooper), who visits her later. Discouraged by Amy's melancholy demeanor, Tom departs for another rendezvous. When Amy follows and is attacked by locals, Tom defends her -- which has consequences for him, Amy and the romantic hopes of La Bessiere.

Director: Josef von Sternberg
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 14, 1930, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 8, 2020
Runtime: 1h 30m