Cimarron (1931)

• Review: ** ½ (out of ****)
• Starring: Richard Dix, Irene Dunne, Estelle Taylor, Nance O'Neil, William Collier Jr., Rosco Ates, George E. Stone, Stanley Fields, Robert McWade, Edna May Oliver, Nancy Dover, Eugene Jackson
• Director: Wesley Ruggles
• Screenplay: Howard Estabrook (Novel: Edna Ferber)
• Length: 131 min.
• MPAA Rating: N/A

The desire to be a part of the ever expanding frontier leadsone newspaper man in search of a new life in the Wild West. Cimarron is a sweeping epictypical of the style that would often whisk Oscar voters into bygone eras and earnthe title of Best Picture of the year.

Yancey Cravat (Richard Dix) was a progressive of greatconviction. He not only believed in God but also the divine right of man tolook out for one another. His courage and compassion helped shape a great manylives. The film opens in 1888 when president Benjamin Harrison (who didn’t takeoffice until the following year) opened two million acres of the Oklahoma territory upfor settlement (either the date the film cites is incorrect or the president itlists is). In a sprawling panoramic view of a dusty field, director WesleyRuggles conjures a scene of great magnitude. Although in good need of editing,the scene captures a number of the emotions on the faces of those who sought anew beginning.

Starting his own new life, Yancey takes his wife Sabra(newcomer Irene Dunne) and his toddler son Cimarron on a journey into Oklahoma to the smallboomtown of Osage. There, through a great deal of compassion, creativity andbravery, Yancey helps sculpt a thriving town.

However, the call of adventure takes Yancey away from hisfamily to explore and hopefully find new land for his family. Sabra’s knowledgeof her husband’s wandering ways is little comfort but she can’t help but keepgoing without him, becoming a stronger person in the interim.

Soon to be one of Hollywood’smost beloved talents, Dunne gave us a light touch of what she was capable of in Cimarron.Though the film portrays Yancey as the lead character, we discover that Sabrahas far more to do with the story than her roaming spouse. It’s her growth fromoutset to denouement that makes the film worth watching. Take away herperformance and the film would be little more than a poorly-worded history ofOklahoman history.

Dix’s performance is neither revelatory nor interesting.Stuck in a style of mannerism characteristic of the silents, Dix may have acapable speaking voice but his overly passionate body language is distracting.Dunne is far more subdued in her mannerisms, though at times she does overcompensate.

Cimarron remained the only Western to win Best Picture fornearly 60 years until Dances With Wolves walked away with the same trophy. It’s incredibly difficult to understand why afilm as flawed as Cimarron could hold such a record.

-Wesley Lovell (September 29, 2006)