Cimarron [Special Edition]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Cimarron was the first Western to win the Oscar for Best Picture--and, until Dances with Wolves in 1990, the only one. The film begins on April 22, 1889, the opening day of the great Oklahoma Land Rush on the Cherokee Strip. Boisterous Yancey Cravat (Richard Dix) is cheated out of his land claim by the devious Dixie Lee (Estelle Taylor). Instead of becoming a homesteader, Cravat establishes a muckraking newspaper, and with pistols in hand he becomes a widely respected (and widely feared) peacekeeper. He also displays a compassionate streak by coming to the defense of Dixie Lee, who is about to be arrested for prostitution. Cravat's insistence on sticking his nose into everyone's affairs drives a wedge between him and his young wife Sabra (Irene Dunne), but she stands by him--until he deserts her and her children, ever in pursuit of new adventures. Sabra takes over the newspaper herself, and with the moral support of her best friend, Mrs. Wyatt (Edna May Oliver), she creates a powerful publishing empire. Cimarron makes the mistake of placing most of the action early in the film, so that everything that follows the spectacular opening land-rush sequence may feel anti-climactic. While it's always enjoyable to watch Irene Dunne persevering through the years, it's rather wearing to sit through the overblown performance of Richard Dix, who seems to think that he can't make a point unless it's at the top of his lungs. Cimarron creaks badly when seen today, but it still outclasses the plodding 1960 remake. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Screen: Black and White
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Features:
  • cc
  • Vintage musical short The Devil's Cabaret
  • Classic cartoon Red-Headed Baby
  • Subtitles: English, Francais & Espanol (feature film only)

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Adapted Screenplay - 1930- (Howard Estabrook)
•     Won Best Art Direction - 1930- (Max Ree)
•     Won Best Picture - 1930-
•     Nominated Best Actor - 1930- (Richard Dix)
•     Nominated Best Actress - 1930- (Irene Dunne)
•     Nominated Best Cinematography - 1930- (Edward J. Cronjager)
•     Nominated Best Director - 1930- (Wesley Ruggles)

• Film Daily

•     Won 10 Best Films - 1930-

• National Board of Review

•     Won Best Picture - 1931

• Photoplay

•     Won Award - 1930-

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Richard Dix - Yancey Cravat
       Irene Dunne - Sabra Cravat
       Estelle Taylor - Dixie Lee
       Nance O'Neil - Felice Venable
       William Collier, Jr. - The Kid
       Roscoe Ates - Jess Rickey
       George E. Stone - Sol Levy
       Robert McWade - Louie Heffner
       Edna May Oliver - Mrs. Tracy Wyatt
       Frank Darien - Mr. Bixby
       Eugene Jackson - Isaiah
       Dolores Brown - Baby Big Elk Eldest
       Gloria Vonic - Baby Big Elk Youngster
       Otto Hoffman - Murch Rankin
       William Orlamond - Grat Gotch
       Frank Beal - Louis Venable
       Nancy Dover - Donna Cravat "Eldest"
       Helen Parrish - Donna Cravat "Younger"
       Junior Johnson - Cim "Younger"
       Douglas Scott - Cim "Youngest"
       Reggie Streeter - Yancey, Jr.
       Ann Lee - Aunt Cassandra
       Tyrone Brereton - Dabney Venable
       Nell Craig - Arminta Greenwood
       Bob McKenzie - Pat Leary
       Bob Kortman - Killer

• Director:

  Wesley Ruggles

• Producer:

  William Le Baron, Louis Sarecky

• Screenwriter:

  Howard Estabrook, Edna Ferber

• Book Author:

  Edna Ferber

• Cinematographer:

  Edward J. Cronjager

• Composer (Music Score):

  Max Steiner

• Editor:

  Willaim Hamilton

• Art Director:

  Max Ree

• Costume Designer:

  Max Ree

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Clem Portman

• Special Effects:

  Lloyd Knechtel

REVIEW:

• According to Hollywood lore, Cimarron's famous Oklahoma Land Rush sequence was filmed near Bakersfield, CA, and included 47 camera operators and 5,000 dress extras. The scene, which to a modern viewer suggests some heavy borrowing from William S. Hart's similar sequence in the silent Tumbleweeds (1925), remains Cimarron's centerpiece and tends to dwarf the empire building sweep of Edna Ferber's original novel. And, to be frank, the remaining hour or so of political intrigue is rather ponderous and dull in comparison. Richard Dix and Irene Dunne grow old according to Hollywood tradition by graying slightly at the temples and the rest of the immense cast seems in awe of the entire enterprise. According to Hollywood lore, Cimarron lost money despite earning a Best Picture Academy Award and it is easy to see why. The whole enterprise seems lopsided and never recovers from that amazing land rush sequence early on in the proceedings. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi