Tangier in popular culture
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Tangier has been the subject of many artistic works, including novels, films and music.


Literature

* ''Tanger'': A Norwegian book by the author Thure Erik Lund. Jostein Bøhn, one of the main characters has it as a final destination point in his journey. * ''Le dernier ami'' by
Tahar Ben Jelloun Tahar Ben Jelloun ( ar, الطاهر بن جلون; born in Fes, Morocco, 1 December 1944) is a Moroccan writer. All of his work is written in French although his first language is Darija. He became known for his 1985 novel ''L’Enfant de Sab ...
. The two protagonists were born in Tangier and the city is revisited many times in the book. * ''Jour de silence à Tanger'' by
Tahar Ben Jelloun Tahar Ben Jelloun ( ar, الطاهر بن جلون; born in Fes, Morocco, 1 December 1944) is a Moroccan writer. All of his work is written in French although his first language is Darija. He became known for his 1985 novel ''L’Enfant de Sab ...
. * "Streetwise" by Mohamed Choukri * '' Naked Lunch'' by William S. Burroughs – relates some of the author's experiences in Tangier. (See also Naked Lunch (film)) * The poem "
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
" by Allen Ginsberg * '' Desolation Angels'' by
Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian a ...
relates him living with William Burroughs and other Beat writers in Tangier. * '' Interzone'' by Burroughs – It talks about a fictionalized version of Tangier as an international city called ''Interzone'' (aka International Zone) * '' Let It Come Down'' is Paul Bowles's second novel, first published in 1952 * ''Two Tickets for Tangier'' by Francis Van Wyck Mason, an American novelist and historian * '' Modesty Blaise''; a fictional character in a
comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...
of the same name and a series of books created by Peter O'Donnell – In 1945 a nameless girl escaped from a displaced person (DP) camp in Karylos, Greece. She took control of a criminal gang in Tangier and expanded it to international status as "The Network". After dissolving The Network and moving to England she maintained a house on a hillside above Tangier and many scenes in the books and comic strips are located here. * ''Carpenter's World Travels: From Tangier to Tripoli'' – a
Frank G. Carpenter Frank George Carpenter (May 8, 1855 in Mansfield, Ohio – June 18, 1924 in Nanking) was a journalist, traveler, travel writer, photographer, and lecturer. Carpenter was a writer of geography textbooks and lecturer on geography, and wrote a seri ...
travel guide (1927) * '' The Thief's Journal'' by
Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...
– Includes the protagonist's experiments in negative morality in Tangier (1949) * '' The Alchemist'' by Paulo Coelho * '' The Crossroads of the Mediterranean'' by Hendrik de Leeuw chronicles the author's journey through Morocco and Tunisia in the early 1950s and includes many pages describing Tangier, notably the Petit Socco as a food market with mountain dwellers (the ''jebli'') selling their produce and 'the street of male harlots', where they ply 'their shameful trade'. * ''
The Gold Bug Variations ''The Gold Bug Variations'' is a novel by American writer Richard Powers, first released in 1991. Plot introduction The novel intertwines the discovery of the chemical structure of DNA with the musicality of Johann Sebastian Bach's harpsichord ...
'' by Richard Powers * '' The Innocents Abroad'' by
Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...
includes a mixed bag of comments on his visit to Tangier, ending with: "I would seriously recommend to the Government of the United States that when a man commits a crime so heinous that the law provides no adequate punishment for it, they make him Consul-General to Tangier." * ''Seed'' by Mustafa Mutabaruka – An African-American dancer struggling with the death of his father meets an enigmatic young woman and her companion in Tangier. * ''Au grand socco'' by Joseph Kessel – A Moroccan Tangerine boy shares his adventures in the
Grand Socco The Grand Socco, officially the Place du 9 Avril 1947, is a historic quasi-circular roundabout square separating the old medina from newer developments in downtown Tangier, Morocco. Overview The term, ''socco'' is a Spanish corruption of the ...
. * ''A Dead Man in Tangier'' by Michael Pearce – Sandor Seymour, an officer of Scotland Yard's Special Branch, is sent to investigate a murdered diplomat in Tangier, during the era immediately preceding World War I. * ''Tangier'' by William Bayer – a novel of expatriate life set in Tangier in the 1970s, featuring a Moroccan detective who watches the foreign colony and a host of writers, painters and socialites believed to have been based on real Tangier personalities. * ''The Drifters'' by
James A Michener James Albert Michener ( or ; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American writer. He wrote more than 40 books, most of which were long, fictional family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and ...
– a novel which follows six young characters from diverse backgrounds and various countries as their paths meet and they travel together through parts of Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Mozambique. * Enderby Outside and
The Clockwork Testament, or Enderby's End ''The Clockwork Testament'' is a novella by the British author Anthony Burgess. It is the third of Burgess' four '' Enderby'' novels and was first published in 1974 by Hart-Davis, MacGibbon Publishers.''Novel Style: Ethics and Excess in Englis ...
by Anthony Burgess – Partially takes place in Tangier, where the main character is given a bar by his enemy, Rawcliffe. * ''Dark Voyage'' by Alan Furst - World War II naval intrigue, partly set in Tangier. * '' The Strange Land'', by Hammond Innes. Adventure/thriller novel set at first in Tangier, and then mainly in the south of Morocco.


Magazines

* Antaeus (magazine) was first published in Tangier by Daniel Halpern and Paul Bowles before being shifted to New York City * ''Tangier Gazette'' was founded by William Augustus Bird (aka
Bill Bird William Augustus Bird (1888–1963) was an American journalist, now remembered for his Three Mountains Press, a small press he ran while in Paris in the 1920s for the Consolidated Press Association. Taken over by Nancy Cunard in 1928, it becam ...
) in Tangier


Films and television

* '' Tangier'' American film featuring
María Montez María África Gracia Vidal (6 June 1912 – 7 September 1951), known professionally as Maria Montez, was a List of people from the Dominican Republic, Dominican motion picture actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s starring i ...
, Robert Paige and Sabu – 1946 *''
Mission in Tangier ''Mission in Tangier'' (French: ''Mission à Tanger'') is a 1949 French drama film directed by André Hunebelle and starring Raymond Rouleau, Gaby Sylvia and Mila Parély. It was the first in the trilogy of films featuring dashing reporter Georges ...
'' (French: ''Mission à Tanger'') a 1949
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
drama film directed by André Hunebelle and starring Raymond Rouleau,
Gaby Sylvia Gaby Sylvia (March 24, 1920 – July 26, 1980) was an Italian actress who appeared in many French films and television series.Goble p.37 Partial filmography * ''Le ruisseau'' (1938) - Denise * ''Behind the Façade'' (1939) - Madeleine Martin * ...
and
Mila Parély Mila Parély (7 October 1917 – 14 January 2012), born Olga Colette Peszynski, was a French actress of Polish ancestry best known for the roles of Félicie, Belle's eldest sister, in Jean Cocteau's '' La Belle et la Bête'' (1946), and as Gen ...
. * ''
My Favorite Spy My Favorite Spy may refer to: * My Favorite Spy (1942 film), an American comedy film * My Favorite Spy (1951 film) ''My Favorite Spy'' is a 1951 comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bob Hope and Hedy Lamarr. Plot US intelligen ...
'', Bob Hope and Hedy Lamarr spy comedy set mainly in Tangier – 1951 * ''
Flight to Tangier ''Flight to Tangier'' is a 1953 American action film directed by Charles Marquis Warren and starring Joan Fontaine, Jack Palance, and Corinne Calvet. It was released by Paramount Pictures in Technicolor and 3-D. This film also appeared in ''No C ...
'' (Charles Marquis Warren) – 1953 * '' Tangier Incident'' (1953) – an American agent posing as a black market operator, is in Tangier on a mission to stop the plans of three atomic scientists who are there to pool their secrets and sell them in a package to the Communists. * ''
That Man from Tangier ''That Man from Tangier'' (Spanish:''Aquel hombre de Tánger'') is a 1953 American-Spanish adventure film directed by Luis María Delgado and Robert Elwyn and starring Nils Asther, Roland Young and Nancy Coleman.Von Gunden p.272 It was the final ...
'' (in Spanish ''Aquel Hombre de Tanger'') featuring
Sara Montiel María Antonia Abad Fernández MML (10 March 1928 – 8 April 2013), known professionally as Sara Montiel, also Sarita Montiel, was a Spanish actress and singer, who also held Mexican citizenship since 1951. She began her career in the 1940s an ...
– 1953 * ''Tangier'', an episode of the television series '' Passport to Danger'' starring Cesar Romero – 1955 * '' Man from Tangier'' (a.k.a. ''Thunder Over Tangier'') – 1957 * ''The Man in the Cage'', an episode of the television series ''
Thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
''. The episode stars Philip Carey. – 1961 * '' From Russia with Love'' (1963) – the villain, Donald "Red" Grant, was recruited by "SPECTRE" in Tangier in 1962, whilst on the run from the law * ''
Espionage in Tangier ''Espionage in Tangier'' ( es, Marc Mato, agente S. 077, it, S.077 spionaggio a Tangeri) is a 1965 Spanish-Italian spy film, inspired by James Bond and directed by Gregg C. Tallas.Marco Giusti. ''007 all'italiana''. Isbn Edizioni, 2010. pp. 257-2 ...
''. A
thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
of a secret agent out to snag a dangerous molecular ray-gun – 1965 * ''
Requiem for a Secret Agent ''Requiem for a Secret Agent'' (also known as ''Requiem per un agente segreto'') is an Italian international co-production Eurospy film. It was co-produced with Spain (where it was released as ''Consigna: Tánger 67'') and West Germany (where it w ...
'' (1966), Italian spy thriller shot in Tangier and Marrakesh * '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' episode ''The "J" for Judas Affair'' – 1967 * ''The Nautch of Tangier'' (aka ''The Witchmaker'') – 1969 * '' The Wind and the Lion'' (1975) – Based on the
Perdicaris incident The Perdicaris affair, also known as the Perdicaris incident, refers to the kidnapping of Greek-American Ion Hanford Perdicaris (1840–1925) and his stepson, Cromwell Varley, a British subject, by Ahmed al-Raisuni and his bandits on 18 May ...
of 1904, this film, starring
Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...
, Candice Bergen, and Brian Keith, takes place largely in Tangier. The film's Tangier, however, was actually created in the Spanish cities of Seville and Almeria. * '' Tangier'' (1982), spy thriller with Ronny Cox and
Billie Whitelaw Billie Honor Whitelaw (6 June 1932 – 21 December 2014) was an English actress. She worked in close collaboration with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for 25 years and was regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of his works. She was al ...
* ''
The Living Daylights ''The Living Daylights'' is a 1987 spy film, the fifteenth entry in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first of two to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by John Glen, the film's ...
'' (1987) – a ''James Bond'' movie where he hunts
Brad Whitaker Brad Whitaker is a fictional character in the James Bond film ''The Living Daylights''. He was portrayed by American actor Joe Don Baker. Baker also appeared as Jack Wade, Bond's CIA contact, in Pierce Brosnan's first two Bond films, ''GoldenEye ...
down at his Tangier headquarters * ''
Prick Up Your Ears ''Prick Up Your Ears'' is a 1987 British film, directed by Stephen Frears, about the playwright Joe Orton and his lover Kenneth Halliwell. The screenplay was written by Alan Bennett, based on the 1978 biography by John Lahr. The film stars Gary ...
'' (1987) –
Joe Orton John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his death in 1967, was short but highly influential. During this brie ...
(Gary Oldman) and Kenneth Halliwell (Alfred Molina) visit Tangier, the scene represents the 88-day holiday that Joe Orton took after the failure of his play ''
Loot Loot may refer to: Film *''Loot'' (1919 film), a film by William C. Dowlan * ''Loot'' (1970 film), a British film by Silvio Narizzano * ''Loot'' (2008 film), a documentary * ''Loot'' (2011 film), an Indian film * ''Loot'' (2012 film), a Nepali fil ...
'' * '' The Sheltering Sky'', starring John Malkovich and Debra Winger. Bernardo Bertolucci's adaptation of the novel by
Paul Bowles Paul Frederic Bowles (; December 30, 1910November 18, 1999) was an American expatriate composer, author, and translator. He became associated with the Moroccan city of Tangier, where he settled in 1947 and lived for 52 years to the end of his ...
. Married American artists Port and Kit Moresby travel aimlessly through North Africa, searching for new experiences that could give sense to their relationship. But the flight to distant regions only leads both deeper into despair. – 1990 * ''Tangiers, July 1909'', segment of '' Young Indiana Jones Chronicles episodes'' edited into 1992 episode "Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal" * ''Casino'' (1995), a movie directed by Martin Scorsese depicts the mainstay casino as 'Tangiers' . The movie stars Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro * ''
The Bourne Ultimatum ''The Bourne Ultimatum'' is the third Jason Bourne novel written by Robert Ludlum and a sequel to ''The Bourne Supremacy'' (1986). First published in 1990, it was the last Bourne novel to be written by Ludlum himself. Eric Van Lustbader wrote a ...
'', an espionage movie featuring Matt Damon – Jason Bourne tracks a man through the city who has information on his (Bourne's) past. – 2007 * '' Inception'' featuring Leonardo DiCaprio – 2010: The city was used to film the scenes set in Mombasa, Kenya * ''Agent Vinod'' (2012 film), an Indian spy action film by Sriram Raghavan. Set in Tangier and other locations in Morocco.* '' Archer'' – the title character Sterling Archer is revealed to have been born in Tangier, where his valet and caretaker Woodhouse once owned a bar; season 4 episode 10, ''Un Chien Tangerine'' (March 2013), takes place in Tangier. * '' Archer'' – the title character Sterling Archer is revealed to have been born in Tangier, where his valet and caretaker Woodhouse once owned a bar; season 4 episode 10, ''Un Chien Tangerine'' (March 2013), takes place in Tangier. * '' Only Lovers Left Alive'' (2013) – Tilda Swinton's character, Eve, lives in Tangier. *''
El tiempo entre costuras ''El tiempo entre costuras'' (literally ''The Time Between Seams'', English title: ''The Time in Between'') is a Spanish period drama television series produced by Boomerang TV for Antena 3. It is an adaptation of the same-titled 2009 novel by M ...
'' (''The Time in Between''), Spanish period drama television series, has scenes set in Tangier – 2013 * ''
SPECTRE Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writ ...
'' (2015): James Bond visits a hotel named L'American. * In 2016, in the penultimate episode of Downton Abbey, it is revealed that Bertie Hexham's cousin, the Marquess of Hexham, died in Tangiers, leaving Bertie to be the new Marquess of Hexham. * In 2021, in the first episode of the rebooted ''
The Equalizer ''The Equalizer'' is an American spy thriller multimedia franchise initially co-created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim, and originating with a CBS television series from 1985 to 1989, starring Edward Woodward. The concept was thereafte ...
'' series, the title character (played by Queen Latifah) plans around a rescue tactic that she and her CIA contact utilized in Tangier.


Music

* Tangier – American
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
band. * Tangiers – a Canadian rock music band. * "If You See Her, Say Hello" by Bob Dylan on his
Blood On The Tracks ''Blood on the Tracks'' is the fifteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on January 20, 1975, by Columbia Records. The album marked Dylan's return to Columbia Records after a two-album stint with Asylum Records. Dy ...
album – The song's opening line is, ''"If you see her say 'hello', she might be in Tangier."'' * ''Sartori in Tangier'' by King Crimson – derives its title from
Beat generation The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Generatio ...
influences including the
Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian a ...
novel '' Satori in Paris'', and the city of Tangier, where a number of Beat writers resided and which they often used as a setting for their writing. * "Waiting in Tangier" – a track in the album '' Woman to Woman'' of
Fem2fem Fem2Fem was an American techno group who released three albums in the 1990s. Featuring actress Lezlie Deane as a member, Fem2Fem were the first openly lesbian pop group to chart, although the band did contain both straight and gay women. The ...
band. * "Tangier" by the Scottish musician
Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...
on his album '' The Hurdy Gurdy Man''. * ''Live at Tangiers'' – a solo by Michael Stanley * "Tangiers" – an instrumental piece by John Powell featured in ''
The Bourne Ultimatum ''The Bourne Ultimatum'' is the third Jason Bourne novel written by Robert Ludlum and a sequel to ''The Bourne Supremacy'' (1986). First published in 1990, it was the last Bourne novel to be written by Ludlum himself. Eric Van Lustbader wrote a ...
'' * ''My Tangier'' – Dave Crockett (circa 1980s) * ''Intrigue in Tangiers'' – a track from the album What Does Anything Mean? Basically by The Chameleons. * ''Idaho'' by Josh Ritter – "I got your letter in Tangier". * ''Guantanamo'' by
Outlandish Outlandish is a hip-hop music group based in Denmark. Formed in 1997, it consisted of Isam Bachiri (born in Denmark and of Berber background), (born in Denmark and of Pakistani background), and (born in Honduras and of Cuban and Honduran desc ...
''Or we can lounge in Tangier – Not the one in Vegas, naah the one in Maroc'' * ''Tangiers'' by Billy Thorpe – a concept album about Tangier, inspired by Thorpe's several visits there. * ''Night Train'' by Looptroop – a song about travelling by night train and noticing diffidences caused by time, place and circumstances; Promoe's singing about his trip around Morocco "I'm on the night train from Tangier to Marrakesh" * ''Hacker'' by Death Grips – First line of the song is "Going back to Tangier, with some Jordans and a Spear" * "Intrigue in Tangiers" English band featuring Roger Hill & Mel Jones. Since 2008 "Intrigue in Tangiers" have released 9 studio albums, 2 live albums and a "best of". * '' Style'' by Taylor Swift – the popular tourist attraction Caves of Hercules, located in Tangier, is shown on the music video of the 2015 hit song by Taylor Swift. * '' Shock Treatment'', the title song from the
Richard O'Brien Richard Timothy Smith. known professionally as Richard O'Brien, is a British-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, composer, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' in 1973, which has remained in conti ...
musical of the same name - "I'm not a loco with motive to suture myself/I've been a cynic for too many years/Playing doctor and nurse, it can be good for your health/I've seen clinics with those gimmicks in Tangiers."


Paintings

* ''HMS Mary Rose and pirates'' by Willem van de Velde (a painting ascribed to Willem van de Velde, taken from the book: William Laird Clowes (ed.): The Royal Navy. A History From the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol. 2, London 1898) * ''Market Day Outside the Walls of Tangiers'' by Louis Comfort Tiffany (1873 –
Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds o ...
) * ''Harvest of a journey to Spain and Tangiers, The Great Mosque, and Serpent Charmers of Sokko'' – a painting by
Emile Wauters Emile Wauters (19 November 184611 December 1933) was a Belgian painter. He was born in Brussels. Successively the pupil of Portaels and Jean-Léon Gérôme, he produced in 1868 ''The Battle of Hastings: the Finding of the body of Harold by Edith ...
(c. 1911–1916) * ''
Window at Tangier ''Window at Tangier''; also referred to as ''La Fenêtre à Tanger'', ''Paysage vu d'une fenêtre'', and ''Landscape viewed from a window, Tangiers'', is a painting by Henri Matisse, executed in 1912. It is held at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, ...
'' by the French artist Henri Matisse (1912 – The
Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (russian: Музей изобразительных искусств имени А. С. Пушкина, abbreviated as ) is the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located in Volkhonka street, just oppo ...
, Moscow). * ''Virtual Tangier: Visions of the City'' by
Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prima ...
(1913)


Radio

* "A Ticket to Tangiers" is an episode of '' The Adventures of Harry Lime'' Popular culture, in Cities in popular culture Tangier in fiction