Post by Coopsgirl on Mar 30, 2011 18:51:15 GMT -6
The Spoilers was released two months after A Man from Wyoming on September 20, 1930. This film has survived but I have not seen it as it has not been released on home video or broadcast on television. A couple of years ago it was shown at a film festival in New York so at least some people have been able to see it. Here is the AFI catalog description of the film and some movie stills.
Morocco, released on November 14, was Gary’s last film released in 1930 out of a total of six films, seven if you count Paramount on Parade. That’s quite a heftier workload from the prior year when he starred in only three films and more similar to his 1928 numbers when he was the lead actor in seven films. In 1931 he would star in four films, five if you count the Stolen Jools short film, and that marked the last year he would star in more than three films within a 12 month period for the rest of his career. But I’m getting ahead of myself, back to Morocco.
I really like this film. It’s beautifully shot and it’s just a fun way to spend an hour and a half. Speaking of the look of this film, Lee Garmes received a Best Cinematography Academy Award nomination for his work on Morocco. The film also received three other Oscar nods including Hans Dreier for Best Art Direction, Josef von Sternberg for Best Director, and Marlene Dietrich for Best Actress. It did not win any little gold statues but it did win a Kinema Junpo Award in Japan given to Von Sternberg for Best Foreign Language Film.
I’m not going to do an extensive synopsis because there is so much other information I want to share about the film. It’s available on dvd and also airs occasionally on TCM so it is available for viewing. Basically it’s about a foreign legion soldier (Gary) stationed in Morocco who falls for a cabaret singer (Marlene) who must decide between the handsome young bad boy soldier or the more mature wealthy business man (played by Adolphe Menjou). Love or security: which will she choose?
This was Marlene Dietrich’s first American film. Originally from Germany she came to Hollywood in 1930 with Austrian born-New York raised Josef von Sternberg who had recently directed her in the German film The Blue Angel. Von Sternberg, who added the ‘von’ to his name to make himself sound more aristocratic, had already had success as a director in America during the silent era with films including Underworld (1927), The Last Command (1928), and Docks of New York (1928) all of which are very good and available on dvd in a boxset showcasing his early work. He did not receive credit but Von Sternberg also directed parts of Children of Divorce (1927) so Morocco was not the first time Gary and Josef would work together.
They did not have an easy working relationship while filming Morocco however and there are a few reasons for this. I have read in various biographies and articles that Von Sternberg who was only 5’5” (just an inch taller than me!) did not like tall men as he felt intimidated by them. If this is true I can imagine he did not enjoy looking up at Gary – ha! Josef and Marlene had an affair even though she was married but when that did ever stop anyone in Hollywood from fooling around. Von Sternberg was more concerned about Marlene and how she looked and was filmed so he gave more attention to her rather than the other actors. Gary and Marlene got along quite well as they had a fling while filming and this made Von Sternberg jealous. Also, as if Gary and his director needed any more reasons to not get along, Von Sternberg often spoke in German which only he and Marlene could understand. One day while Josef was speaking to the actors in German, Gary let out a big yawn and this infuriated the director. Gary explained that if he would speak English so everyone could understand then maybe he could stay awake. Zing! I did notice however a quote attributed to Von Sternberg on imdb.com that said he thought Gary was one of the nicest guys he ever met. Who knows what the truth is, maybe they eventually patched things up.
I have to say that even though Marlene Dietrich was a competent actress, I don’t really like her. I can’t stand listening to her sing and she sings in both the films she made with Gary (the other being Desire – 1936). She was a cabaret singer in Germany before she began making films and how she got that job I’ll never know. Also her eyebrows were insane! In 1930 they are where they should be but within a few years they would migrate a couple inches upward and it’s just very distracting and off-putting. I do however have a lot of respect for her efforts during WWII to get as many Jews as she could out of Germany. With her position in the film industry she was able to use work permits to get Jewish members of the German film community into America and escape the horrors of the holocaust. She also participated in the USO and toured around entertaining the troops during WWII.
Another thing I like about this film is that Gary was beginning to assert himself a bit more and take his acting career seriously. He wasn’t afraid to show his displeasure with the director’s antics but he did it in a very tactful way. Also he put up a fight to have his name as top billing instead of Marlene who was practically unknown to American audiences aside from the publicity campaign to build her up prior to the film’s release.
My conversation with Gary:
“You’re not going to like my comments about this one but I’ve got to say it” I said to him with excitement in my voice. “Oh no” he said a bit afraid of what was coming. “You could not be more beautiful in this film. Oh my gosh, in that scene at the club when you bite into that apple really slowly and then smile a little as you chew it is one of the sexiest things ever captured on film. Every time I see it it’s like seeing it again for the first time; it just never gets old.” “Am I going to have to get a water hose and cool you off?” he asked jokingly. “You might have to” I said laughing back at him. “Besides just looking good, acting wise you did a great job. You used your whole body so fantastically. In the scene with Marlene after you first go to her apartment we can see how much you want her but you’re holding back a bit as if you don’t want to seem too easy. Marlene does the same and the screen just oozes with sexual tension. I love your character’s freewheeling, devil may care attitude too; it was a lot of fun.” “Thank you” he said with a sheepish grin. “I’ll tell you what I liked best about this one” he said becoming a bit more serious and reflective. “A 17 year old girl from New York watched it with her friends and I must have made a good impression on her because three years later we were married. When Rocky and I were introduced at a party in Hollywood I thought she was just beautiful and I wanted to impress her but I couldn’t really think of much to say. She saved me from further awkwardness by telling me how much she had liked Morocco and that she’d had a little crush on me ever since. We had our rough patches over the years but marrying her was one of the best things I ever did and not a day went by that I didn’t love her.” “I think that’s the best reason of all then to like this one” I replied with a smile.
Morocco, released on November 14, was Gary’s last film released in 1930 out of a total of six films, seven if you count Paramount on Parade. That’s quite a heftier workload from the prior year when he starred in only three films and more similar to his 1928 numbers when he was the lead actor in seven films. In 1931 he would star in four films, five if you count the Stolen Jools short film, and that marked the last year he would star in more than three films within a 12 month period for the rest of his career. But I’m getting ahead of myself, back to Morocco.
I really like this film. It’s beautifully shot and it’s just a fun way to spend an hour and a half. Speaking of the look of this film, Lee Garmes received a Best Cinematography Academy Award nomination for his work on Morocco. The film also received three other Oscar nods including Hans Dreier for Best Art Direction, Josef von Sternberg for Best Director, and Marlene Dietrich for Best Actress. It did not win any little gold statues but it did win a Kinema Junpo Award in Japan given to Von Sternberg for Best Foreign Language Film.
I’m not going to do an extensive synopsis because there is so much other information I want to share about the film. It’s available on dvd and also airs occasionally on TCM so it is available for viewing. Basically it’s about a foreign legion soldier (Gary) stationed in Morocco who falls for a cabaret singer (Marlene) who must decide between the handsome young bad boy soldier or the more mature wealthy business man (played by Adolphe Menjou). Love or security: which will she choose?
This was Marlene Dietrich’s first American film. Originally from Germany she came to Hollywood in 1930 with Austrian born-New York raised Josef von Sternberg who had recently directed her in the German film The Blue Angel. Von Sternberg, who added the ‘von’ to his name to make himself sound more aristocratic, had already had success as a director in America during the silent era with films including Underworld (1927), The Last Command (1928), and Docks of New York (1928) all of which are very good and available on dvd in a boxset showcasing his early work. He did not receive credit but Von Sternberg also directed parts of Children of Divorce (1927) so Morocco was not the first time Gary and Josef would work together.
They did not have an easy working relationship while filming Morocco however and there are a few reasons for this. I have read in various biographies and articles that Von Sternberg who was only 5’5” (just an inch taller than me!) did not like tall men as he felt intimidated by them. If this is true I can imagine he did not enjoy looking up at Gary – ha! Josef and Marlene had an affair even though she was married but when that did ever stop anyone in Hollywood from fooling around. Von Sternberg was more concerned about Marlene and how she looked and was filmed so he gave more attention to her rather than the other actors. Gary and Marlene got along quite well as they had a fling while filming and this made Von Sternberg jealous. Also, as if Gary and his director needed any more reasons to not get along, Von Sternberg often spoke in German which only he and Marlene could understand. One day while Josef was speaking to the actors in German, Gary let out a big yawn and this infuriated the director. Gary explained that if he would speak English so everyone could understand then maybe he could stay awake. Zing! I did notice however a quote attributed to Von Sternberg on imdb.com that said he thought Gary was one of the nicest guys he ever met. Who knows what the truth is, maybe they eventually patched things up.
I have to say that even though Marlene Dietrich was a competent actress, I don’t really like her. I can’t stand listening to her sing and she sings in both the films she made with Gary (the other being Desire – 1936). She was a cabaret singer in Germany before she began making films and how she got that job I’ll never know. Also her eyebrows were insane! In 1930 they are where they should be but within a few years they would migrate a couple inches upward and it’s just very distracting and off-putting. I do however have a lot of respect for her efforts during WWII to get as many Jews as she could out of Germany. With her position in the film industry she was able to use work permits to get Jewish members of the German film community into America and escape the horrors of the holocaust. She also participated in the USO and toured around entertaining the troops during WWII.
Another thing I like about this film is that Gary was beginning to assert himself a bit more and take his acting career seriously. He wasn’t afraid to show his displeasure with the director’s antics but he did it in a very tactful way. Also he put up a fight to have his name as top billing instead of Marlene who was practically unknown to American audiences aside from the publicity campaign to build her up prior to the film’s release.
My conversation with Gary:
“You’re not going to like my comments about this one but I’ve got to say it” I said to him with excitement in my voice. “Oh no” he said a bit afraid of what was coming. “You could not be more beautiful in this film. Oh my gosh, in that scene at the club when you bite into that apple really slowly and then smile a little as you chew it is one of the sexiest things ever captured on film. Every time I see it it’s like seeing it again for the first time; it just never gets old.” “Am I going to have to get a water hose and cool you off?” he asked jokingly. “You might have to” I said laughing back at him. “Besides just looking good, acting wise you did a great job. You used your whole body so fantastically. In the scene with Marlene after you first go to her apartment we can see how much you want her but you’re holding back a bit as if you don’t want to seem too easy. Marlene does the same and the screen just oozes with sexual tension. I love your character’s freewheeling, devil may care attitude too; it was a lot of fun.” “Thank you” he said with a sheepish grin. “I’ll tell you what I liked best about this one” he said becoming a bit more serious and reflective. “A 17 year old girl from New York watched it with her friends and I must have made a good impression on her because three years later we were married. When Rocky and I were introduced at a party in Hollywood I thought she was just beautiful and I wanted to impress her but I couldn’t really think of much to say. She saved me from further awkwardness by telling me how much she had liked Morocco and that she’d had a little crush on me ever since. We had our rough patches over the years but marrying her was one of the best things I ever did and not a day went by that I didn’t love her.” “I think that’s the best reason of all then to like this one” I replied with a smile.