Morocco [VHS]

Morocco [VHS]
by Josef von Sternberg

Morocco [VHS]

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Product details

Actor: Adolphe Menjou, Eve Southern, Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich, Ullrich Haupt
Director: Josef von Sternberg
Cinematographer: Lee Garmes
Cinematographer: Lucien Ballard
Editor: Sam Winston
Producer: Hector Turnbull
Writer: Benno Vigny
Writer: Jules Furthman
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language); French (Original Language); Spanish (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, HiFi Sound, NTSC
Running Time: 92 minutes
Release Date: 1998-01-01
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: Universal Studios
Studio: Universal Studios

VHS Movie Reviews of Morocco [VHS]

Movie Review: Desert passion
Summary: 4 Stars

This was Marlene Dietrich's first American movie, which came hard on the heels of THE BLUE ANGEL. She plays a sultry nightclub singer who somehow has made her way to Morocco. There she meets two men: Adolphe Menjou - rich, devoted to her, but obviously dull; and Gary Cooper - a devil-may-care French Legionnaire, who loves her but won't show it. No doubt whom she falls for.

Joseph von Sternberg directed and Dietrich was his raison d'etre - he lavished on her everything that would give her the best advantage: lighting, make-up, camera angles. She shines as a femme fatale who would cast off men like burnt matchsticks, until she meets Cooper. Coop plods along as he did in just about every picture he was in, handicapped even more here because of Sternberg's disdain for him.

Like every early sound movie the acting is pretty wooden and stilted (having to play to the primitive microphones rather than the camera explains that), but the dialogue (script by Jules Furthman) isn't too exceptional either. (How much better it would have been as a silent!) Many of the scenes are rather far-fetched, as at the end when she kicks off her shoes and marches off into the desert. But it captured the 1930 audiences' imagination and was a big hit, making stars of Cooper and Dietrich.

Movie Review: GREAT MOVIE BUT HORRIBLE AUDIO
Summary: 1 Stars

I was lucky enough to have been able to get a copy of Morocco on VHS. I was very excited before inserting the tape in my VCR, but soon became quite disappointed with the audio quality. You could barely understand the actors when they spoke. The sound is really bad. The copy that I purchased was new, and not one of those inexpensive imitations from unpopular realeasing studios. This was the original Paramount version. The movie was very good for 1930, obviously not as good as other Dietrich movies. I still HIGHLY recomended if you are a Marlene Dietrich fan, even with the bad sound.

Movie Review: Romance and Adventure in North Africa
Summary: 4 Stars

MOROCCO is a very early Marlene Dietrich film directed by Josef von Sternberg. Dietrich, Gary Cooper and Adolph Menjou give excellent performances. The scene in a nightclub where Dietrich passes her apartment key to French Legionnaire Cooper is priceless. MOROCCO is probably a very good movie for 1930 and it gives a strong hint of the greatness Dietrich and Josef von Sternberg will achieve in later movies. However, it is clearly not quite as good as SHANGHAI EXPRESS and some of their other collaborations.

MOROCCO received Oscar nominations but no awards for Best Director, Actress (Marlene Dietrich), Cinematography and Art Direction.

Movie Review: Marlene Dietrich's American film debut (with Gary Cooper)
Summary: 4 Stars

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.

Movie Review: My favorite Sternberg/Dietrich collaboration
Summary: 4 Stars

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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