Editing Morocco (film) (section)

==Background==
Even before Josef von Sternberg's ''[[The Blue Angel]]'' was released to international acclaim in 1930, Paramount Pictures took a keen interest in its new star, Marlene Dietrich. When the Berlin production was completed in January, Sternberg departed Germany before its premiere on April 1, confident his work would be a success. Legend has it that Dietrich included a copy of author [[Benno Vigny]]'s story ''Amy Jolly'' in a going-away gift package to Sternberg when he sailed for America. He and screenwriter [[Jules Furthman]] would write a script for ''Morocco'' based on the Vigny story.{{sfn|Weinberg|1967|loc=p. 55: "It was Dietrich who suggested to Sternberg an obscure novel, ''Amy Jolly'' (subtitled The Woman of Marrakesh) ... which was to serve as inspiration for their first American film together."}}

On the basis of test footage Sternberg provided from the yet unreleased ''The Blue Angel'', producer [[B. P. Schulberg]] agreed to bring Dietrich to Hollywood in February 1930 under a two-picture contract.{{sfn|Baxter|1971|pp=75–76}}<ref name="moma">{{cite web|last=Silver|first=Charles|url=https://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2010/07/13/josef-von-sternbergs-morocco/|title=Josef von Sternberg's ''Morocco''|publisher=[[Museum of Modern Art]]|date=July 13, 2010|access-date=July 10, 2018}}</ref> When she arrived in the United States, Sternberg welcomed her with gifts, including a green [[Rolls-Royce Phantom II]], which featured in some scenes of ''Morocco''.

Dietrich "was subjected to the full power of Paramount's public relations machine", launching her into "international stardom" ''before'' American moviegoers had seen her as Lola Lola in ''The Blue Angel'', which appeared in U.S. theaters in 1931.{{sfn|Baxter|1971|p=32}}{{sfn|Sarris|1998|loc=p. 210: "... Marlene Dietrich did not appear on American screens until after the release of ''Morocco'' ([December] 1930), actually her second stint with Sternberg."}}{{sfn|Weinberg|1967|loc=p. 55: "She scored a personal triumph unmatched by any actress on the screen since the [debut] of Garbo."}}