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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
My favorite Sternberg/Dietrich collaboration, October 25, 2000
Simplistic but highly effective triangle love story of legionaire(Cooper), cafe girl(Marlene) and older wealthy suitor(Menjou). While maintaining her relationship with a wealthy suitor, Amy finds a shy but handsome soldier in Gary Cooper. The story is not complicated but rather accurate for real life situations. While Dietrich's character is fascinated with Cooper, her mercenary slant keeps Menjou in the forefront of her plans. We can see the love growing between the young couple but we know that Cooper has no chance. Or does he? The final scene is beautiful and draws me back to this film repeatedly. Morocco launched Dietrich in America and started a 6 film collaboration between Josef von Sternberg and Marlene which produced some of the most provocative films of the 1930's. I believe this is a must see for classic film buffs. Highly recommended for Dietrich fans, von Sternberg fans, pre-code fans and classic film fans in general. It is not for the kids (they'll get bored!).
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Morocco depicted 1930 "groupies" of the foreign legion, June 15, 1999
Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper are the reluctant lovers--she is looking for a wealthy, comfortable existence and he is just a foreign legion soldier of little or no consequence. Marlene makes fun of the gypsy-like groupies who make a habit of following after the legionairres to be their "groupies". She, after all, has Adolfe Menjoui, a weathy patron as her boyfriend; so who needs Gary Cooper? Well, it turns out, she does and to her chagrin--she becomes part of that horrible, mass of women running after their men through wars and strife. At the end she watches them all running, running and then to Adolfe Menjoi's shock she starts running too; thus forsaking all her beautiful clothes and material possessions throwing away her shoes and going barefoot --running into the desert after her one true love and soulmate--the soldier (played by young and handsome, Gary Cooper). What a great finish!
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Marlene Dietrich's American film debut (with Gary Cooper), August 12, 2001
Gary Cooper plays Tom Brown, a devil-may-care American private in the French Foreign Legion who hooks up with cabaret signer Amy Jolly, played by Marlene Dietrich in her American film debut (the name is a corruption of "pretty friend"/"aimee jolie" in French). Brown has been pretty ruthless with women, but becomes drawn to the embittered Amy. Director Josef Von Sternberg spends a lot of time setting up Dietrich, while Cooper gets the rare opportunity to play a heel and turns in one of the best performances of his early films. Adolphe Menjou plays Kensington, a debonair suitor of Amy who becomes the third wheel in the main love affair, while Eve Southern and Juliette Compton play a couple of the discarded women in Brown's life. Dietrich sings "Quand L'Amour Muert" and "What Am I Bid For My Apple?" while wearing a tuxedo. This 1930 film was based on the racy novel, "Amy Jolly, Women of Marrakesh" by Berlin journalist, Benno Vignay, who had served in the Foreign Legion and followed the success of "Beau Geste." "Morocco" is an above average film, even though the two main characters waste a lot of time pretending they are not perfect for each other and the ending is a bit ludicrous for a character played by Marlene Dietrich. For that matter, I am not sure that Amy upsets Cooper's character so much that Brown would rather go out on hazardous missions instead of facing her. Still, all in the all the two stars make this story work for the most part.
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