Morocco

"Who is this woman who scorns a hundred men...to give her love to a Devil-May-Care Soldier?"

1930 1h 32m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 172

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Mogador, Morocco. Late 1920s. A complex romance develops between a womanizing Legionnaire and a disillusioned Parisian cabaret singer.

“Who is this woman who scorns a hundred men...to give her love to a Devil-May-Care Soldier?”

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Cast

Gary Cooper
Légionnaire Tom Brown
Marlene Dietrich
Mademoiselle Amy Jolly
Adolphe Menjou
Monsieur La Bessiere
Ullrich Haupt
Adjudant Caesar
Eve Southern
Madame Caesar
Francis McDonald
Sergeant Tatoche
Paul Porcasi
Lo Tinto
Émile Chautard
French General (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Josef von Sternberg
Writers: Benno Vigny, Jules Furthman, Howard Hawks
Languages: English, Arabic, French, Italian, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

96 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 5 languages: English, Arabic, French, Italian, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Josef von Sternberg, shot by Lucien Ballard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Karl Hajos. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Editor Sam Winston shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gary Cooper and Marlene Dietrich and Adolphe Menjou carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Who is this woman who scorns a hundred men...to give her love to a Devil-May-Care Soldier?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Josef von Sternberg directs. Lucien Ballard behind the camera. Karl Hajos scores. Sam Winston cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Arabic, French, Italian, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
296 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 5 languages: English, Arabic, French, Italian, Spanish.
4Directed by Josef von Sternberg, shot by Lucien Ballard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Karl Hajos. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Sam Winston shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Gary Cooper and Marlene Dietrich and Adolphe Menjou carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Who is this woman who scorns a hundred men...to give her love to a Devil-May-Care Soldier?".
9IMDB entry: tt0021156 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Lucien Ballard
Original score: Karl Hajos
Editing: Sam Winston
Costume design: Travis Banton
Sound: Harry D. Mills
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Status: Released
Budget: $491,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Morocco (1930)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Josef von Sternberg

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-03-02
★ 7/10
Before there was Mogadon, there was Mogador - a town in Morocco in which the wealthy "La Bessiere" (Adolphe Menjou) might have wished for more of the former! His problems all stem from his infatuation with the recently arrived cabaret dancer "Amy" (Marlene Dietrich) who is wowing the crowds in her elegant tuxedo, top hat and stilettos. Also amongst her audience is the roguish legionnaire "Brown" (Gary Cooper) who takes a shine to her and even pays 20F for one of her apples! What now ensues is a lightly comedic love-triangle enterprise peppered with two full length numbers from Dietrich and a little naughtiness from Cooper that sends him deep into the treacherous desert. To be fair, Cooper is not the most impactful here - his performance is just a little too undercooked, but she is on great form as she mischievously plays both men and I did feel a little sorry for Menjou's lovestruck character used to buying everything he wanted. The production is gently tempered with a little sexual fluidity. That's not especially new for European audiences, but I reckon those across the pond might not have been quite so used to a woman so demonstrably fully equipped to function and thrive in a man's world! The scene at the end really did make wonder if "Amy" had really thought things through, though...

Production companies