And the Best Picture goes to....

“Cimarron,” released in 1931, is a historical but fictional film that was the first Western to win Best Picture.  Directed by Wesley Ruggles and featuring a notable cast including Richard Dix, Irene Dunne, Estelle Taylor, George E. Stone, and Edna May Oliver, it depicts the Oklahoma Land Rush and the struggles of its characters during this period of history.

Based on a novel by Edna Ferber, who also wrote “Giant,” they’re both intended as sagas that tackle similar themes such as land ownership, gender roles, and racism.

While the scenes of the Land Rush Stampede—with 5,000 extras and 28 cameramen—and the transformation of the town of Osage from almost nothing into a sprawling metropolis were truly spectacular for their time, the execution of the film falls short in some areas. The performances by the cast, including Richard Dix as Yancey Cravat and Irene Dunne as Sabra Cravat, lack the depth and nuance necessary to fully engage the audience.

Despite receiving nominations for Best Actor and Best Actress, the performances in “Cimarron” do not leave a lasting impact.  Richard Dix is guilty of overacting, which I find fairly typical for the early days of the talkies. At the same time, I felt Irene Dunne’s loyal and devoted wife should have been made more of a focus being that her storyline was way more compelling.  However, Edna May Oliver does provide her usual comic relief as the spinster Mrs. Tracy Wyatt.

At a runtime of 2 hours and 3 minutes, the narrative struggles to maintain a consistent pace. At times, the ambitious scope of the story results in a lack of focus, making it challenging for viewers to connect fully with the characters and their experiences.  While more than half of the film covers roughly a decade, there is a gigantic leap from 1907 to 1929 at the end, which leaves a similar-sized gap in the plot and the lives of the characters.  It was never explained why exactly Sabra was in New York in 1929.  Was she supposed to be the head of some conglomerate with its headquarters based there?

In conclusion, “Cimarron” ambitiously portrays a significant period in American history, but its execution and pacing resulted in a mediocre experience. Perhaps I would have liked it a bit more had they explored more of that twenty-year gap, which was left open-ended.