Cimarron (1931 film)

• Directed by: Wesley Ruggles
• Produced by: William LeBaron
• Written by: Howard Estabrook
• Starring: Richard Dix, Irene Dunne, Estelle Taylor, and Roscoe Ates
• Music by: Max Steiner
• Cinematography: Edward Cronjager
• Editing by: William Hamilton
• Distributed by: RKO Pictures
• Release date(s): February 9, 1931
• Running time: 131 min.
• Country: United States
• Language: English

Cimarron is a 1931 film directed by Wesley Ruggles and based on the Edna Ferber novel Cimarron.

Plot

When the government opens up the Oklahoma territory for settlement, restless Yancey Cravat claims a plot of the free land for himself and moves his family there from Wichita. A newspaperman, lawyer, and just about everything else, Cravat soon becomes a leading citizen of the boom town of Osage. 

Once the town is established, however, he begins to feel confined once again, and heads for the Cherokee Strip, leaving his family behind. During this and other absences, his wife Sabra must learn to take care of herself and soon becomes prominent in her own right.

Background

Despite America being in the depths of the Depression, RKO immediately prepared for a big-budget picture, investing more than 1.5 million dollars into Ferber's novel Cimarron. Director Wesley Ruggles would direct stars Richard Dix and Irene Dunne with a script written by Howard Estabrook. Filming began in the summer of 1930 at the Jasmin Quinn Ranch outside of Los Angeles, California. 

The film was a massive production, especially the land rush scenes, which recalled the epic scenes of Intolerance some fifteen years earlier. More than 5,000 extras, twenty-eight cameraman, and numerous camera assistants and photographers were used to capture scenes of wagons racing across grassy hills and prairie. Cinematographer Edward Cronjager spent overtime planning out every scene in accordance to Ferber's descriptions.

Reception

The film was premiered first in New York City on January 26, 1931, to much praise, and a Los Angeles premiere followed on February 6. Three days later, the film was released to theaters throughout the nation. Despite being a critical success, the high budget and ongoing Great Depression combined against the film. While it was a commercial success in line with other films of the day, RKO could not recoup their investment in the film.

At the 1931 Academy Awards ceremony at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, Cimarron took high honors. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture (producer William LeBaron), as well as awards for Best Art Direction (set decorator Max Ree) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Howard Estabrook). The film was also nominated for Best Actor (Richard Dix), Best Actress (Irene Dunne), Best Cinematography (Edward Cronjager), and Best Director (Wesley Ruggles). A special award for make-up was given to Ern Westmore for his work on the film, as well.[1]

Despite such high honors, the film took a condescending and even racist view of both African American and American Indian people and culture. The white characters assumed they were bringing "civilization" to the "savage" Indians. Cimarron also took a stereotypical view of African Americans, who were portrayed as illiterate and subservient. By today's standards, the film is considered racially insensitive, though these views were typical for the time the film was produced.

Awards

• Academy Award Wins (1931)
  • Best Picture
  • Best Art Direction - Max Ree
  • Best Writing (Best Adapted Screenplay) - Howard Estabrook
• Academy Award Nominations (1931)
  • Best Actor - Richard Dix
  • Best Actress - Irene Dunne
  • Best Cinematography - Edward Cronjager
  • Best Director - Wesley Ruggles

Cast

• Richard Dix as Yancey Cravat
• Irene Dunne as Sabra Cravat
• Estelle Taylor as Dixie Lee
• Roscoe Ates as Jesse Rickey
• William Collier Jr. as The Kid
• Nance O'Neil as Felice Venable
• George E. Stone as Sol Levy

References

[1]^ Frank Westmore and Muriel Davidson. The Westmores of Hollywood. J. B. Lippincott, New York City, 1976.

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