OUTSTANDING PLAYER IN PARAMOUNT’S “MOROCCO”

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 77, 31 March 1931, Page 11

OUTSTANDING PLAYER IN PARAMOUNT’S “MOROCCO”

“All that swooning Press agents have shyly confessed about the new comet, Marlene Dietrich, is vindicated in this film,” writes a critic in “Smith’s Weekly,” Sydney, “ The newcomer has warmth and human beauty. Her voice is a vibrant contralto, almost masculine in its deeper tones, but full of emotional power. ‘ Morocco ’ itself is a story of the Foreign Legion, and challenges anything that has been done in this field in the past. And, quite unlike the rest, its ending strikes a note of dramatic curiosity that lingers poignantly in the mind. Sternberg’s erection has supplied some magnificent backgrounds for the action—notably a scene of the African desert with a column of soldiers marching away into an infinity of sand. While the figures in the foreground carry on the emotional interest, the regiment dwindles away into the distance, until finally all that can be seen is the twinkle of white jackets far away. “Gary Cooper and Adolphe Menjou contribute splendid support, but the dominant figure throughout is that of Marlene Dietrich. The German actress has learnt the dramatic value of a slowed-down tempo; all her movements and speeches are deliberate and studied, and she is as languid as anybody could wish. The story is magnified by her personality into a film that is a genuine triumph. From the elemental box-office point of view Morocco must lie an obvious success; what is more to its credit is that its producers have not allowed the exploitation of popular ingredients to impair their intelligence. For sheer emotional power, studied beautv, and prolonged interest—all of which is a synonyrn for Marlene Dietrich—4. S i awar . ds * ts highest distinction to the best picture Paramount has given us this year.”