Cimarron

Rating

Director

Wesley Ruggles

Screenplay

Howard Estabrook (Novel: Edna Ferber)

Length

131 min.

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

MPAA Rating

N/A

Review

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

Yancey Cravat (Richard Dix) was a progressive of great conviction. He not only believed in God but also the divine right of man to look out for one another. His courage and compassion helped shape a great many lives. The film opens in 1888 when president Benjamin Harrison (who didn’t take office until the following year) opened two million acres of the Oklahoma territory up for settlement (either the date the film cites is incorrect or the president it lists is). In a sprawling panoramic view of a dusty field, director Wesley Ruggles 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 small boomtown of Osage. There, through a great deal of compassion, creativity and bravery, Yancey helps sculpt a thriving town.

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

Soon to be one of Hollywood’s most 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 from outset to denouement that makes the film worth watching. Take away her performance and the film would be little more than a poorly-worded history of Oklahoman history.

Dix’s performance is neither revelatory nor interesting. Stuck in a style of mannerism characteristic of the silents, Dix may have a capable 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 for nearly 60 years until Dances With Wolves walked away with the same trophy. It’s incredibly difficult to understand why a film as flawed as Cimarron could hold such a record.

Review Written

September 29, 2006