Cimarronis a 1931pre-CodeepicWesternfilm starringRichard DixandIrene Dunne,and directed byWesley Ruggles.Released byRKO,it wonAcademy AwardsforBest Picture,Best Adapted Screenplay(written byHoward Estabrookand based onEdna Ferber's 1930 novelCimarron), andBest Production Design(by Max Rée).
| Cimarron | |
|---|---|
 theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Wesley Ruggles |
| Screenplay by | Howard Estabrook Louis Sarecky |
| Based on | Cimarron 1930 novel byEdna Ferber |
| Produced by | William LeBaron Louis Sarecky (assoc.)[1] |
| Starring | Richard Dix Irene Dunne |
| Cinematography | Edward Cronjager |
| Edited by | William Hamilton |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release dates | |
Running time | 124 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,433,000[2] |
| Box office | $1,383,000[2] |
Both Dix and Dunne were nominated for their leading roles, andEdward CronjagerforBest Cinematography,but did not win.Estelle Taylor,Edna May Oliver,andRoscoe Atesappeared in supporting roles. Epic in scope, spanning forty years from 1889 to 1929,Cimarronwas RKO's most expensive production up to that date, as well as its first production to win the Best Picture Oscar. It was a critical success, although it did not recoup its production costs during its initial run in 1931.[3]
It is the first of four Westerns to ever win the top honor at the Academy Awards, being followed almost 60 years later byDances with Wolvesin 1990,Unforgivenin 1992, andNo Country For Old Menin 2007.
Due to being a film published in 1931, it will enter thepublic domain on January 1, 2027.
Plot
editTheOklahoma land rush of 1889prompts thousands to travel to theOklahoma Territoryto grab free government land; Yancey Cravat and his young bride, Sabra, cross the border from Kansas to join the throngs. In the ensuing race, Yancey is outwitted by a young prostitute, Dixie Lee, who takes the prime piece of real estate, the Bear Creek claim, that Yancey had targeted for himself.
His plans for establishing a ranch thwarted, Yancey moves into the town ofOsage,aboomtown,where he confronts and kills Lon Yountis, an outlaw who had killed the prior publisher of the local newspaper. Having a background in publishing himself, Yancey establishes theOklahoma Wigwam,a weekly newspaper, to help turn the frontier camp into a respectable town. After the birth of the Cravats' daughter, Donna, a gang of outlaws threatens Osage, led by "The Kid", who happens to be an old acquaintance of Yancey's. To save the town, Yancey faces and kills The Kid.
Beset by guilt over his killing of The Kid, Yancey leaves Sabra and his children to chase another land rush settling theCherokee Strip.After his departure, Sabra takes over the publication of theWigwam,and raises her children until Yancey returns after serving in theSpanish-American Warfive years later. Not to her, but just in time to represent Dixie Lee, who had been charged with being a public nuisance, and win her acquittal.
Osage continues to grow, as does the Territory of Oklahoma, which gains statehood in 1907 and benefits from the earlyoil boomof the 1900s. Also prospering alongside the settlers are the Native American tribes, which Yancey supports through editorials in his newspaper. Once more he disappears from Osage, for several years. At the time, Sabra is vehemently anti–Native American, despite her son's involvement with an Indian woman.
Years later Sabra becomes the first female member of Congress from the state of Oklahoma, taken to lauding the virtues of her by-then Indian daughter-in-law.
Sabra and Yancey are reunited one final time when she rushes to his side after he has rescued numerous oil drillers from a devastating explosion. He dies in her arms.
Cast
edit- Richard Dixas Yancey Cravat
- Irene Dunneas Sabra Cravat
- Estelle Tayloras Dixie Lee
- Nance O'Neilas Felice Venable
- William Collier Jr.as The Kid
- Roscoe Atesas Jesse Rickey
- George E. Stoneas Sol Levy
- Stanley Fieldsas Lon Yountis
- Robert McWadeas Louis Hefner
- Edna May Oliveras Tracy Wyatt
- Judith Barrettas Donna Cravat
- Eugene Jacksonas Isaiah
- Dennis O'Keefe(uncredited)
(Principal cast list as perAFI database,andThe RKO Story)[1][4]
Production
editDespite being in the depths of theGreat Depression,RKO Radio Picturesinvested more than $1.5 million (equivalent to approximately $30.1 million in 2023[5]) into production of Ferber's novel.
Filming began in the summer of 1930 at theQuinn Ranchoutside ofLos Angeles, California,where the land rush scenes were shot. More than twenty-eight cameramen, and numerous camera assistants and photographers, were used to capture scenes of more than 5,000 costumed extras, covered wagons, buckboards, surreys, and bicyclists as they raced across grassy hills and prairie to stake their claim.
Cinematographer Edward Cronjager planned out every take (that recalled the scenes ofIntolerancesome fifteen years earlier) in accordance with Ferber's descriptions. In order to film key scenes for this production, RKO purchased 89 acres (36 hectares) inEncinowhere construction ofart directorMax Ree'sOscar-winning design of a complete western town and a three-block modern main street were built to represent the fictional Oklahomaboomtownof Osage. These award-winning sets eventually formed the nucleus of RKO's expansivemovie ranch,in Encino, where other RKO (and non-RKO) films were later shot.[6]
Release
editRKO Radio Pictures premieredCimarronat the RKOPalace Theatre (Broadway)in New York City on January 26, 1931, to much praise, and then on February 6 a Los AngelesOrpheum Theatrepremiere followed, that also included personal appearances ofRichard DixandIrene Dunne,a stage show and an augmented orchestra. Three days later, the movie was released to theaters throughout the nation. Despite being a critical success, the extremely high budget and ongoingDepressioncombined against the film. While it was a commercial success in line with other films of the day,RKO Picturescould not at first recoup their heavy investment in the film, that ended up losing $565,000.[4]However, it recouped some more money on a 1935 re-release[4]that enjoyed another premiere inOklahoma Cityat the (John Ebersondesigned) Midwest Theatre. The movie remained RKO's most expensive film until 1939'sGunga Din(that filmed exteriors in theAlabama Hillsat the foot of theSierra Nevadas,but had one scene shot onRKO's movie ranchin Encino).[2]
Reception
editContemporary reviews
editReviews by film critics were overwhelmingly positive at the time.Varietyled off its review with: "An elegant example of super film making and a big money picture. This is a spectacular western away from all others. It holds action, sentiment, sympathy, thrills and comedy – and 100% clean. Radio Pictures has a corker in 'Cimarron'." The review went on to praise the actors, particularly Dix and Oliver, as well as the direction, stating, "Wesley Ruggles apparently gets the full credit for this splendid and heavy production. His direction misses nothing in the elaborate scenes, as well as in the usual film making procedure." The magazine specifically pointed out the quality of the make-up in the aging of the principle players, who have to go through forty years on-screen.[7]
Mordaunt HallofThe New York Timesalso gave the film a stellar review, calling it: "A graphic and engrossing screen conception of Edna Ferber's widely read novel...", and also praised the handling of the passage of time in this epic. Hall also singled out the performance of Dunne.[8]Motion Picture Magazineraved: "A great and worthy effort, this transcription of early Oklahoma life will be hailed as one of the high-spots of the year. It has everything. RKO seems to have placed no restrictions upon making it a lavish, bona-fide epic."[9]
John MosherofThe New Yorkerpraised the "great care" that had been taken with the historical accuracy of the film's visual details, that he thought "as good as anything that has come out of Hollywood, and because of this expertness the film gains especial value". He also wrote that Richard Dix was "certainly at his best in this role". His only criticisms concerned the second half of the film, that he thought had "sagging moments" and an ending that was too abrupt.[10]The Evening Independentcalled it "a notable addition to the small list of pictures that the years have given to the American theater. For inCimarronis vested stirring drama, stark beauty, daring and adventure on a plane that is seldom seen on the screen. "[11]TheWest Seattle Heralddeclared that it was "even more powerful than the great story read by millions in America.Cimarronthe picture is all that is gripping inCimarronthe story. Spectacular scenes abound in this production. "[12]
Elizabeth Yeaman of theHollywood Daily Citizensaw the film as a new type of history, writing that, "Like history, the picture has moments of thrilling glory and moments of repetition and daily routine.Cimarrondoes not follow the rules of story construction... It is, in short, a graphic interpretation of a portion of history, the history of the state of Oklahoma from the time of the first great land rush until the present. "[13]
Retrospective reviews
editMore recent appraisals of the film have not been as positive. Steve Evans ofDVD Verdictwrote in 2006, "Seen with contemporary eyes, the film is badly dated, slow moving, and pocked with racist caricatures....The recreation of the great 1889 Oklahoma Land Rush remains an exciting spectacle....Unfortunately, the film never manages to top this opening shot."[14]
Assessing the film in 2009,James Berardinellicalled it "an excellent study of how tastes have changed over the years. Critically lauded at the time of its release,Cimarronwas beloved by most who saw it. Eight decades later, it is frequently cited on lists of the most undeserving Academy Award winners and is rightfully impugned for racist overtones and scattershot storytelling. "[15]
As of September 2023Cimarronheld a "Rotten" 52% rating onRotten Tomatoes,based on 33 reviews, with aweighted averageof 5.2/10. The site's consensus reads: "Cimarronis supported by a strong performance from Irene Dunne, but uneven in basically every other regard, and riddled with potentially offensive stereotypes. "[16]
Awards and honors
editAt the 1931Academy Awards ceremonyat theBiltmore Hotelin Los Angeles,Cimarronwas the first film to receivemore than six Academy Awards nominationsandbe nominated for the Big Five awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Writing).[17]Additionally, it is one of only two films (the other beingWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) to receive nominations in every eligible category. It won for three of them, including Best Picture.[17]In 1946 it was joined byThe Best Years of Our Livesas the only Best Picture Oscars won by RKO.[4]
Cimarronwas the first Western to win the Best Picture award, and remained the only Western genre film with that honor until 1990, whenDances with Wolveswon.[18]
| Category | Winner | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding Production | RKO Radio(William LeBaron,Producer) | Won |
| Best Director | Wesley Ruggles | Nominated |
| Best Actor | Richard Dix | Nominated |
| Best Actress | Irene Dunne | Nominated |
| Best Writing, Adaptation | Howard Estabrook | Won |
| Best Art Direction | Max Rée | Won |
| Best Cinematography | Edward Cronjager | Nominated |
References
edit- ^abcde"Cimarron: Movie Detail".American Film Institute.Archivedfrom the original on June 24, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 11,2016.
- ^abcJewel, Richard (1994)."RKO Film Grosses: 1931–1951: the C. J. Tevlin ledger".Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television.14(1): 57.doi:10.1080/01439689400260031.
- ^Deming, Mark."Cimarron (1960)".AllMovie.RetrievedApril 21,2022.
- ^abcdJewell, Richard B.; Harbin, Vernon (1982).The RKO Story.New York: Arlington House. p. 33.ISBN978-0-5175-4656-7.
- ^1634–1699:McCusker, J. J.(1997).How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda(PDF).American Antiquarian Society.1700–1799:McCusker, J. J.(1992).How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States(PDF).American Antiquarian Society.1800–present:Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis."Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–".RetrievedFebruary 29,2024.
- ^"Cimarron (1931): Articles".Turner Classic Movies.RetrievedApril 21,2022.
- ^"Review: Cimarron".Variety.January 27, 1931. Archived fromthe originalon August 10, 2014.RetrievedAugust 10,2014.
- ^Hall, Mordaunt (January 27, 1931)."Cimarron".The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon August 10, 2014.RetrievedAugust 10,2014.
- ^""Cimarron" Is Bonafide Epic Of Talking Screen ".Kentucky New Era.Hopkinsville. March 4, 1931. p. 5.
- ^Mosher, John(February 7, 1931). "The Current Cinema".The New Yorker.p. 67.
- ^"The New Film".The Evening Independent.St. Petersburg, Fla. February 6, 1931. p. 6A.
- ^"'Cimarron' Is Epic Story Of Oklahoma ".West Seattle Herald.April 23, 1931. p. 1.
- ^Smyth, J. E. (2010).Edna Ferber's Hollywood: American Fictions of Gender.University of Texas Press. p. 139.ISBN978-0-2927-2563-8.
- ^Evans, Steve (2006)."DVD Verdict Review – Cimarron".DVD Verdict.Archived fromthe originalon August 31, 2014.RetrievedDecember 8,2014.
- ^Berardinelli, James(November 27, 2009)."Cimarron".ReelViews.RetrievedDecember 8,2014.
- ^"Cimarron".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedAugust 10,2023.
- ^ab"The 4th Academy Awards (1931) Nominees and Winners".Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Archivedfrom the original on October 10, 2014.RetrievedSeptember 11,2016.
- ^"1930-31 Academy Awards Winners and History".American Movie Classics.Archivedfrom the original on July 4, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 11,2016.
External links
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