Review of Road to Morocco (1942) by Calum R — 06 Aug 2013

Two goof-balls get lost in the white part of Morocco.

Let me get the serious stuff out of the way. Morocco is portrayed as radically other. All of the attractive characters are white actors playing "brown-face," and all of the unsavory characters have accents and are excessively tribal and violent. This portrayal continues the traditions that Edward Said writes about in Orientalism in which he claims that films like this contribute to a racist cultural attitude vis-a-vis the "East.".

That said, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope were hilarious, and in spite of the film's problems from an academic standpoint, the film is nevertheless marvelously entertaining. Of all the Golden Age singing stars, I think Crosby is my favorite. His voice is so free and easy; it looks like anyone could sing like him, but of course no one can.

The self-referential jokes are great, and Crosby and Hope have an excellent chemistry.

Overall, the film gets a one-star penalty for racism, but it's still remarkably entertaining.