Morocco | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Josef von Sternberg |
Produced by | Hector Turnbull |
Screenplay by | Jules Furthman |
Based on |
Amy Jolly by Benno Vigny |
Starring | |
Music by | Karl Hagos |
Cinematography | Lee Garmes |
Edited by | Sam Winston (uncredited) |
Production
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Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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91 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic |
Morocco is a 1930 American Pre-Code romance drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich, and Adolphe Menjou. Based on the novel Amy Jolly by Benno Vigny and adapted by Jules Furthman, the film is about a cabaret singer and a Legionnaire who fall in love during the Rif War, but their relationship is complicated by his womanizing and the appearance of a rich man who is also in love with her. The film is most famous for the scene in which Dietrich performs a song dressed in a man's tailcoat and kisses another woman (to the embarrassment of the latter), both of which were rather scandalous for the period.
Morocco was nominated for four Academy Awards in the categories of Best Actress in a Leading Role (Marlene Dietrich), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Director (Josef von Sternberg). In 1992, Morocco was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
The film is set in the late 1920s. It opens in Morocco, with the French Foreign Legion returning from a campaign. Among them is Légionnaire Private Tom Brown (Gary Cooper). Meanwhile, on a ship bound for Morocco is the disillusioned nightclub singer Amy Jolly (Marlene Dietrich). Wealthy La Bessière (Adolphe Menjou) attempts to make her acquaintance, offering to assist her on her first trip to Morocco. When she politely refuses any help, he gives her his calling card, which she later tears up and tosses away.