Desire (1936 film)

Plot

The film tells of Madeleine de Beaupre (Marlene Dietrich), a devious jewel thief. After stealing a string of pearls from jeweler Aristide Duval (Ernest Cossart), de Beaupre flees Paris. She leaves a trail that implicates psychiatrist Dr. Pauquet (Alan Mowbray). As she heads for the Spanish border, she nearly runs into Tom Bradley (Gary Cooper), an American auto mechanic vacationing in Europe. De Beaupre spots Bradley again at the Spanish customs. She's worried that the pearls will be found in her handbag, so she slips them into Bradley's pocket. After they make their way through inspection, de Beaupre flirts with Bradley in an attempt to get the pearls back. Bradley is too shy to respond so she gets his attention by trying to "repair" the engine of her car with a hammer. De Beaupre lures Bradley to the San Sebastian estate of her partner in crime, Carlos Margoli (John Halliday). It doesn't take long for Tom to figure out what de Beaupre and Margoli are up to. Yet, Bradley also knows that he's fallen for de Beaupre, and he's willing to go along as long as he's near her.

Cast

Marlene Dietrich as Madeleine de Beaupre

Gary Cooper as Tom Bradley

John Halliday as Carlos Margoli

William Frawley as Mr. Gibson

Ernest Cossart as Aristide Duvalle

Akim Tamiroff as Avilia, Police Official

Alan Mowbray as Dr. Maurice Pauquet

Zeffie Tilbury as Aunt Olga

Background

John Gilbert was initially cast as Carlos Margoli, which was to be his comeback role. He had a heart attack in his dressing room a few weeks later and was immediately replaced by John Halliday. A few days later, Gilbert died of alcohol-induced heart failure. Some of the scenes in the film were directed by Ernst Lubitsch whilst Frank Borzage was fulfilling a prior commitment at Warner Bros. The film was shot at Paramount Studios and at the Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, California and, unusual for its time, on location in France and Spain.

Of the film, Dietrich said:

The only film I need not be ashamed of is Desire, directed by Frank Borzage and based on a script by Ernst Lubitsch. I found Gary Cooper a little less monosyllabic than before. He was finally rid of Lupe Vélez, who had been at his heels constantly throughout the shooting of Morocco.

and:

Desire became a good film and, moreover, also proved to be a box-office success. The script was excellent, the roles superb - one more proof that these elements are more important than actors.

Accolades

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated