Morocco (1930)

After the success of the German produced film, The Blue Angel, director Josef von Sternberg would hop the Atlantic with his new starlet, the provocative Marlene Dietrich, and begin producing films in the motion picture capitol. In the same year the multi-language produced, international hit made Dietrich a highly coveted, fresh, exotic face on the silver screen she would make her splash in American cinema with Morocco. A love story set in the romantic French occupied, African country from which the film would get its name. Morocco, would be a wonderful start to the team of Sternberg and Dietrich in Hollywood teaming up a total of seven times to the delight of audiences in the 1930s.

Morocco is the story of two separate disillusioned individuals who travel this foreign land in attempt to get away from the lackluster pasts that knew all there lives, only to find their worlds in each other. Gary Cooper is a French legionnaire Tom Brown (I know, a real French name, huh?) who's life is simply mingling with the native women of whatever town his detachment stops in, a real ladies man. Dietrich plays the disenchanted nightclub singer Amy Jolly, whose appeal attracts the wealthy gentleman named Le Bessiere (Adolphe Menjou) as well as our legionnaire Brown. Brown and Amy happen to become found of each other romantically, despite not looking for such a relationship, something that in a way frightens and confuses them both. All the while Le Bessiere looks to make Amy all his own. Brown despite his love for Amy feels she would have a better life with the wealthy gentleman than with a poor legionnaire, faking his own injury while out on a mission hoping she would marry Bessiere. Once Amy discovers the fact that he is back and and indeed healthy, her heart wins the battle over her head as she follows her true love and his detachment wherever he goes, leaving a possible comfortable life behind in the film's quiet and stirring conclusion.

The picture is slow at times and does seem to struggle in direction for periods, but does lead to a rather intriguing turn of events as we see how much Brown and Amy are in love with each other. Brown wants the best for her and hopes she will marry the wealthy man and live comfortably, but in the end she drops everything she has to follow the man she loves. Even through the elements and the sands and Morocco she chooses to follow Brown, knowing that only he is the key to her true happiness. Dietrich plays a wonderfully captivating role a the disillusions nightclub singer. Her sex appeal is charismatic as she plays with her audience and with you, the film watcher. Her European qualities of mystery and appeal are fascinating as you have no choice but to watch her every moment she is on the screen. Her somewhat infamous song number dressed in a tuxedo, highlighted with her kissing a woman (a real taboo for that time), an idea supposedly made by Dietrich herself, would stir audiences in 1930 and does even today. Despite it being her first English speaking film, and Dietrich needing to learn her lines phonetically, she does a wonderfully marvelous job in the picture, garnering herself an Academy Award nomination for best actress, and shooting her to fame in America.

Von Sternberg performs as director masterfully, staging shots very pleasing to the eye and getting the most out of the actors to create such grand characters. Of course this was only the beginning of his work in Hollywood, but he too would be nominated for a best director award that year at the Oscars. It is said that von Sternberg did not get along with his other star Gary Cooper. Cooper was just in the genesis of his long and well documented Hollywood career. Von Sternberg would shoot to favor his very loved leading lady, always having Cooper looking up at Dietrich is scenes when together. Cooper would eventually have the studio bosses put an end to that. We must not forget Adolphe Menjou, an actor commonly portraying wealthy, straight laced characters, whose credits include The Three Musketeers, The Sheik, and A Woman of Paris. He plays his usual role in this picture, here as a pseudo villain, but also a sympathetic individual that wishes the best for the woman he loves and who would ultimately leave him. All our main players, von Sternberg, Dietrich, Cooper, and Menjou would continue with long and successful careers long after Morocco.

As for the acclaim to the picture, Morocco was a success all around. Beside a good box office draw, the film would be nominated for a total of four Academy Awards: Best Actress (Dietrich), best director (von Sternberg), best art direction (Hans Dreier), and best cinematography (Lee Germnes). The film is now part of the National Film Registery in the Library of Congress as being a significant film in the history of the medium and rightfully so.

Overall the film is enjoyable and a treat to watch for a era in film history when many pictures may not have been exactly at their peak. Obviously all the major players would be great contributers to the cinematic arts over the years as well with other events surround that time in history. To watch them all together in this picture is a real pleasure and gem from the early 1930s.