To me, this movie is perfection.

Sorry, this movie sucks

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Blistering performances.

Morocco (1930) *** (out of 4)Marlene Dietrich plays cabaret singer Amy Jolly who comes to Morocco where she soon finds herself wanted by two very different men. Legionnaire Tom Brown (Gary Cooper) is a bit wild and has very little money whereas Monsieur La Bessiere (Adolphe Menjou) has everything that could give Jolly a great life.After the success of THE BLUE ANGEL star Dietrich and director Josef von Sternberg ended up in America and this here was their first release. The film certainly has some flaws along the way but there's no denying that it contains some wonderful cinematography, a good enough story as well as some excellent performances, which is the main reason to watch the film.I really thought there were some terrific sequences scattered throughout the picture but the highlight has to be the one where we first see Dietrich inside the cabaret. I thought the entire section of her coming onto the stage, getting booed and then us meeting the Cooper character was very well-done. Even better is the sequence that followed with the apples. I know some say that the story is cliché and it is even for 1930 standards but it's still good enough to let the star's do their thing.Speaking of the stars, there's no question that the three leads are what makes the film. Dietrich is ravishing in her role as she has no problem making you believe that these two men would fall in love with her. She's able to give off so emotion with what appears to be such ease. Menjou was always good at playing these smart gentlemen. As for Cooper, he too is very good her as he has a certain flair that works perfectly well with Dietrich.MOROCCO isn't a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination but it's a very good gem.

Call me a philistine but, I really don't care about the early movies that primary focus on a star, whether it's Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo or Asta Nielsen. Everybody is raving about their 'marvelous' performances, but a performance alone doesn't make a great movie, especially if the characters are flat and the plot barely existing. The director can spend as much time as he wants to light an actresses face as beautiful as possible,but this time would be better spent on character development or something that makes the movie worth watching.I'm not saying Josef von Sternberg is a bad director, ''Der blaue Engel'', his first collaboration with Dietrich, was a great movie. The difference between this movie and ''Morocco'' is that it has an interesting plot and Emil Jannings character actually has an arc which develops beautifully and is foreshadowed in early scenes.But ''Morocco'' isn't without any merits. The kissing-scene must have been shocking for audiences back then and even if you watch this scene today you definitely won't expect this from a movie from this time. Props to Dietrich to be this daring. Another great moment was the scene when Dietrich rushes to visit Gary Cooper in the hospital and the pearl necklace rips, which is a great moment of character building that, unfortunately, is rare in this film.The scene that will stuck most with me and probably with most people who have seen this film is the ending. The buildup when Dietrich stands at the gate and the soldiers are marching into the desert looks fantastic, which is followed by an even better shot of Dietrich walking behind the last dune and the entire frame is filled with the desert and the sound of a storm approaching.Considering the good scenes, it is a shame that the rest of the film is mediocre at best and could not be saved by the fantastic ending.

The sole reason for me to watch this black and white classic is Marlene Dietrich, courtesy of the fact that it gave her the one and only Oscar-nomination in her entire career. And it is a delight to find out Gary Cooper is her co-star (gosh he is really at his prime, particularly in his army uniform), and the director at helm is Josef von Sternberg, Ms. Dietrich's long-time collaborator, no wonder even the heartthrob Cooper does not stand any chance to steal her thunder (so is a very underused Adolphe Menjou).Truly, this film is all about Marlene, her neutral sexuality is exuding all over the screen with the top hat and the tuxedo when she renders her mesmerising performance as the chanteuse in the cabaret (not to mention the notorious girl-girl kiss scene, it must be a sensational topic at that time, it was 1930!). At the same time her quaint flair as a woman trapped in love but too proud to admit it in front of her beloved man has its momentum to propel the film with its uneven plot. I may be too harsh, the film is made 82 years ago, in the wake of talkie era, so I readjust my original rating from 4 to 5. The patchwork of its very much run-of-the-mill script and camera movements (there are some rather frivolous shots of battle scenes which might fall into the laughingstock notch) are pretty much dated and ruefully, Ms. Dietrich cannot single-handedly save the film (her then English accent is still a bit grating, hope I'm not the only one to say that), the entire film doesn't sell the story in a fully credible structure, many details are being sidelined while the sentimentality is lingering on and on, or perhaps it is just another film fails to connect with when time mercilessly passes by. But last but not the least, its classic way of sending the "dare to love" message is warm and encourage, the final bravura of pursuing her lover in the march has its own merit in that time, if I may divine.

Marlene Dietrich made her American debut in "Morocco," directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Gary Cooper and Adolphe Menjou. Dietrich plays a sexy cabaret performer who has two men in love with her, Cooper, a member of the foreign legion, and Menjou, a wealthy man who can give her the world.This is an early talkie so the rhythm is a bit off and it moves somewhat slowly. Dietrich is beautiful and quite sexy, and she is equaled by the tall, gorgeous Cooper, about 30 years old here and a true hunk if there ever was one.The end of the film is absolutely stunning and worth the whole film. The restless beating of the drums is really something, too.