Cimarron (1930/31)

PLOT SUMMARY:
A newspaper editor settles in an Oklahoma boom town with his reluctant wife at the end of the nineteenth century.

AWARDS:
Wins:  Best Picture; Best Writing – Adapted; Best Art Direction

Nominations:  Best Director (Wesley Ruggles); Best Actor (Richard Dix); Best Actress (Irene Dunne); Best Cinematography

AMANDA:
This one took us a little while to get through (yes, that's why we haven't posted anything in two months.). We started it at least twice and ended up finishing it on our own. It was a little longer, at just over 2 hours, and neither of us had the patience to get through it right away. Once I made it through the movie, I had mixed feelings about it. It’s the story of a man named Yancey who's always looking for his next adventure. He moves from Wichita to Oklahoma territory. I appreciated Yancey’s sense of adventure and wanderlust in the beginning, but after a while in Oklahoma he wants to move yet again. His wife is sick of all the moving around and wants to settle down so he goes without her. I was a little surprised by that – it’s definitely not a ‘typical’ love story like we see in so many movies. It seemed a little selfish to me (especially when he left her to raise two kids and run the newspaper), but none of the other characters really seemed that bothered by it. What did you think?

BOB:
I think the fact that it took us two months to watch this one says it all.  The first item I'd like to discuss is how comically racist it is.  A son is almost disowned because he wants to marry a Native American woman, and the less said about the portrayal of African-Americans in this film, the better.  I cannot confirm this, but this movie may have created the horror/action movie trope where the loud, black guy dies first.  I know it was 1931, but jeez, it was tough to watch at points.  I generally agree with you that I quickly tired of Yancey's "wanderlust" (I'd say he was a complete flake... I mean, he left his wife and children for YEARS at a time to do things that were never really made clear).  Moving on, can I assume you were a big fan of Yancey's wife, who refused to stand by her man when he left town (in a stark contrast from how Queenie acted in The Broadway Melody) and rose to what I can only assume was the prominent position (in the mid-1800s) of town newspaper editor?

AMANDA:
You’re right.  Sabra Cravat, Yancey’s wife, was a little bit better than Queenie. She was more independent, and she stood up for herself when Yancey would go gallivanting across the country or when he’d suggest that they move. In the end of the movie you learn that Sabra really made a name for herself in Yancey’s absence. I was pretty impressed with her, especially considering the state of women’s rights at the time. My only complaint about her would be that every time Yancey would show up, Sabra would be right there to forgive him. It got a little old after a while, but maybe she was happy without him around. 

I think the end of the film was fitting. I don’t want to give anything away, but I think it was poetic justice for things to end the way they did. It wasn’t perfect, but I think it’s as good as it’s going to get for a movie from 1931.

BOB:
You make a good point that this movie was probably pretty progressive for its time with regard to how it portrayed a strong female lead.  Maybe that's why it tanked at the box office (Cimarron is the only Best Picture winner in history to lose money during its initial theatrical release; it lost $5.5 million, or over $83 million when adjusted for inflation)... hey oh!

AMANDA'S FINAL THOUGHTS:
Cimarron was not my favorite of the movies that we’ve seen so far, but it wasn’t terrible. I don’t think I’d watch it again or recommend anyone else watch it unless they’re really a movie buff. At just around two hours, it felt like there need to be a little more action to take up the time – after all, running a newspaper isn’t necessarily an exciting business.

BOB'S FINAL THOUGHTS:
I'll be a little more blunt than you and say that I think this was my least favorite of the films we've watched so far #smallsamplesize.  I actually enjoyed the rather surprising ending to the movie that you alluded to, but it wasn't anywhere near enough to outweigh the fact that I fell asleep twice while watching it and was really put off by the racist elements of the film.  To be honest, the best thing about the movie was its poster (see above).  For everyone who is expecting this movie to be like something from mid-80s Stallone based on the poster, you will be very disappointed.  

Finally, one interesting item to note about this film's place in Oscars history is that it started a decades long aversion on the part of the Academy to broad comedies and science fiction/horror, which often lost out to favor inferior melodramas.  City Lights is arguably Charlie Chaplin's finest film, and Frankenstein is a classic in its own right.  Both would have been vastly superior choices in my book (I'd probably give the nod to City Lights), but neither were nominated.

IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS!:
The main character, Yancey Cravat, was based on a real lawyer (so you know he's legit) and gunfighter named Temple Houston, who was the son of Sam Houston, the first President of the Republic of Texas.

NEXT UP:
Grand Hotel (which will be posted in less time than Cimarron!)