Synopsis
Madeleine steals a string of pearls in Paris and uses US engineer Tom, who is driving on his vacation to Spain, to get the pearls out of France. But getting the pearls back from him proves to be difficult without falling in love.
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Cast
- Marlene DietrichMadeleine de Beaupré
- Gary CooperTom Bradley
- John HallidayCarlos Margoli
- William FrawleyMr. Gibson
- Ernest CossartAristide Duvalle
- Akim TamiroffAvilia
- Alan MowbrayDr. Maurice Pauquet
- Zeffie TilburyAunt Olga
- George MacQuarrieClerk With Gun
- Robert Emmett O'ConnorCustoms Official
Recommendations
- 100
TV Guide Magazine
One of the ultimate expressions of Paramount Studios chic, Desire remains one of its desirable star's finest films. - 90
Los Angeles Times
Desire represents Hollywood at its timeless, beloved best. A stunning blend of European and American sensibilities -- Marlene Dietrich and producer Ernst Lubitsch on the one hand, Gary Cooper and director Frank Borzage on the other -- it is the epitome of glittery escapist entertainment. Yet the emotional honesty at its core gives it a reality that is deeply involving. [12 May 1986, p.2] - 88
Slant Magazine
When Dietrich sings the Friedrich Hollander/Leo Robin song “Awake In A Dream” to Cooper, her purring, off-key voice envelops us in a world of addictive movie fantasy, presided over by two very different masters locked in a tantalizing creative affair. - 80
The New York Times
You will not, in Desire, find a great story, but you will discover one that has been splendidly told. If it is a Lubitsch production, constantly highlighted by those indefinable touches of his, still one should not overlook the skill of its director, Frank Borzage; its excellent camera work, or the performances. - 80
Time Out
Marlene's best movie away from Sternberg, it's relaxed, funny and charming. - 80
Variety
The direction is subtle and inspired, with many smart little Lubitschian touches adding to the general appeal of the yarn [by Hans Szekely and R.A. Stemmle] and its plot. - 80
The New Yorker
This is a polished light comedy in the "continental" style -- a sophisticated romantic trifle, with Dietrich more chic and modern than in her von Sternberg pictures.
