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Cimarron (1931)
Best Picture Oscar Winner for 1931
Now that's an iconic shot! There were 5000 extras in that shot and 28 cameras were used to do it. Who says the early 1930s films don't have scope! That scene would never be done today without the use of CG. Old films rule!
Overall the film is visually impressive for the massive scope it provides in the outdoor sets. The town is huge, and we see it at different time frames too. Each time it changes drastically as the boom town of Osage grows up. At the end of the film it's modern day (1931) and the characters have aged over 40 years.
So what really surprised me was the progressive ideas done in the film. We have one of the lead charters, Yancy Cravet, supporting Native America rights and condemning their poor treatment by the government. There's an interracial marriage of Yancy son to a Native American girl which causes family strife but the progressive dad supports him. What really surprised though was the character played by Irene Dunne-Sabra Cravet. She ends up become a Congress woman and the film endorses the empowerment of women. Only in a precode would you get such a far reaching film as Cimarron coming out of Hollywood back in the day.
Irene Dunne and Richard Dix.
The acting and dialogue at times can seem stiff and the dialogue a bit contrived, modern audiences probably won't warm up to the movie. Though it's themes of equality and ethics should be of interest to all.
I've never seen Richard Dix before. At first he seemed like a silent actor in a early sound film....though I though he was decent, especially as the film progressed and he got older, then he became more three dimensional. Irene Dunne is a skilled actress and I always enjoy her performances and she's good here too...and very young looking I must say, I hardly recognized her at first.
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Cimarron (1931)
Director: Wesley Ruggles
Writers: Edna Ferber (novel), Howard Estabrook (screenplay)
Cast: Richard Dix, Irene Dunne, Estelle Taylor,
Genre: Drama Western
A progressive thinking newspaper editor, joins a 19th century land rush when the Oklahoma territory is opened up for settlement in 1889. Yancy Cravat is a maverick and a fighter for justice and soon becomes a leading citizen in the brand new boom town of Osage. CR
Writers: Edna Ferber (novel), Howard Estabrook (screenplay)
Cast: Richard Dix, Irene Dunne, Estelle Taylor,
Genre: Drama Western
A progressive thinking newspaper editor, joins a 19th century land rush when the Oklahoma territory is opened up for settlement in 1889. Yancy Cravat is a maverick and a fighter for justice and soon becomes a leading citizen in the brand new boom town of Osage. CR
Best Picture Oscar Winner for 1931
Now that's an iconic shot! There were 5000 extras in that shot and 28 cameras were used to do it. Who says the early 1930s films don't have scope! That scene would never be done today without the use of CG. Old films rule!
Overall the film is visually impressive for the massive scope it provides in the outdoor sets. The town is huge, and we see it at different time frames too. Each time it changes drastically as the boom town of Osage grows up. At the end of the film it's modern day (1931) and the characters have aged over 40 years.
So what really surprised me was the progressive ideas done in the film. We have one of the lead charters, Yancy Cravet, supporting Native America rights and condemning their poor treatment by the government. There's an interracial marriage of Yancy son to a Native American girl which causes family strife but the progressive dad supports him. What really surprised though was the character played by Irene Dunne-Sabra Cravet. She ends up become a Congress woman and the film endorses the empowerment of women. Only in a precode would you get such a far reaching film as Cimarron coming out of Hollywood back in the day.
Irene Dunne and Richard Dix.
I've never seen Richard Dix before. At first he seemed like a silent actor in a early sound film....though I though he was decent, especially as the film progressed and he got older, then he became more three dimensional. Irene Dunne is a skilled actress and I always enjoy her performances and she's good here too...and very young looking I must say, I hardly recognized her at first.
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