Overview
A passionate love story unfolds in a vibrant Moroccan backdrop, where desire and rivalry intertwine.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- glamorous
- sensual
- witty
- classic cinema evening
- romantic film night
What critics said
Critics and cultural admirers broadly regard Morocco as a stylish, influential Pre-Code romance elevated by Josef von Sternberg’s direction and Marlene Dietrich’s performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Dietrich’s tuxedoed cabaret persona, stylized staging, and Sternberg’s controlled art direction make visual artificiality central to the romance.
Amy is pursued by both the womanizing Legionnaire Tom Brown and the wealthy Monsieur La Bessiere, making status a persistent pressure on intimacy.
Amy Jolly’s nightclub performances and Dietrich’s screen presence establish spectacle as the basis of both character and romantic attraction.
The foreign-legion setting and Tom Brown’s roguish soldier identity draw on popular fantasies of adventurous, emotionally unreliable Legionnaires.
Films like Morocco, and why
Shanghai Express
stylized pre-Code romance, glamorous performance persona, and morally complicated love triangle
The Blue Angel
Josef von Sternberg’s expressionistic glamour, Marlene Dietrich’s magnetic star image, and doomed romantic tension
The Garden of Allah
exoticized colonial setting, theatrical romance, and emotionally ambivalent triangle
Movie Details
- Director
- Josef von Sternberg
- Release Date
- 1930-11-14
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (171)
Cast
- Gary Cooper
- Marlene Dietrich
- Adolphe Menjou
- Ullrich Haupt
- Eve Southern
- Francis McDonald
- Paul Porcasi
- Émile Chautard
- Juliette Compton
- Albert Conti
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Artiflix
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Morocco about?
- A glamorous cabaret singer and a reckless Legionnaire are drawn into a volatile love triangle amid the exoticized world of French Morocco.
- What is Morocco like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Morocco as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Morocco violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Morocco.
- What did critics think of Morocco?
- Critics and cultural admirers broadly regard Morocco as a stylish, influential Pre-Code romance elevated by Josef von Sternberg’s direction and Marlene Dietrich’s performance.
- Which films are like Morocco?
- Films with a similar feel include Shanghai Express, The Blue Angel, and The Garden of Allah.
- How long is Morocco?
- Morocco runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch Morocco?
- In United States, Morocco streams on Artiflix.
