CIMARRON (1931) DVD DVD

Cimarron
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, All Movie Guide

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

Crew Max Ree - Art Director Max Ree - Costume Designer Wesley Ruggles - Director Willaim Hamilton - Editor Max Steiner - Composer (Music Score) Edward J. Cronjager - Cinematographer Louis Sarecky - Producer William Le Baron - Producer Lloyd Knechtel - Special Effects Clem Portman - Sound/Sound Designer Howard Estabrook - Screenwriter Edna Ferber - Screenwriter Edna Ferber - Book Author

Cimarron
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, All Movie Guide
 

Edward J. Cronjager: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Cinematography (nominated) Howard Estabrook: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Adapted Screenplay (winner) Irene Dunne: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Actress (nominated) Max Ree: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Art Direction (winner) Richard Dix: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Actor (nominated) Wesley Ruggles: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Director (nominated)

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Picture (winner) National Board of Review, Best Picture (winner)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: cc Vintage musical short The Devil's Cabaret Classic cartoon Red-Headed Baby Subtitles: English, Français & Español (feature film only) DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 123 min   DVD Chapters: Disc #1 -- Cimarron 1. Credits and Foreword [2:51] 2. Oklahoma Land Rush [4:34] 3. Dixie Lee's Claim [1:57] 4. Bound for the Cimarron [4:08] 5. Our First Real Home [5:06] 6. Osage [4:26] 7. Chance Encounters [4:08] 8. Friendly Shooting [4:16] 9. Hanging the Shingle [2:27] 10. Death Cry [3:28] 11. Sunday Finery [4:46] 12. Gathering for Meeting [2:45] 13. Hymn and Collection [5:25] 14. Sermon Shootout [4:52] 15. Sabra's Ambitions [4:21] 16. The Kid's Last Stand [5:29] 17. Losing Isaiah [2:54] 18. You Vicious Hussy [3:53] 19. Cherokee Run Chance [4:10] 20. Discussing Yancey [4:07] 21. Back Home [4:46] 22. Dixie on Trial [5:41] 23. The Verdict [4:42] 24. Never Anybody but You [2:39] 25. Wayward Children [3:01] 26. Filthy Politics [4:10] 27. Editorial Clash [2:22] 28. Forty Years in One Place [3:05] 29. Guest of Honor [3:10] 30. Almost All the Family [5:48] 31. Old Drifter's Passing [3:10] 32. Oklahoma Pioneer [:36]