Best Picture - 1931 - Cimarron

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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021746/
 
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimarron_(1931_film)


Director Wesley Ruggles' sweeping adaptation of Edna Ferber's classic American novel was the first Western to win the Best Picture Oscar. Richard Dix stars as Yancey Cravat, a larger-than-life pioneer and newspaperman who moves his family to Oklahoma during the land rush of 1889. Irene Dunne co-stars as Yancey's long-suffering wife, who displays true grit after her husband deserts the family in search of further adventure. Trivia note - this film and 1992's UNFORGIVEN are the only two westerns ever to win Best Picture.

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 Jesse Rickey
George E. Stone as Sol Levy
Stanley Fields as Lon Yountis
Robert McWade as Louis Hefner
Edna May Oliver as Mrs Tracy Wyatt
Judith Barrett as Donna Cravat
Eugene Jackson as Isaiah

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.

It 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 cameramen, 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.

Portrayal of ethnic minorities

Like many of the movies of its time, Cimarron has been perceived to represent blacks, Jews, and American Indians in a stereotypical fashion. However, Cimarron is notable for the conflicting attitudes of the principal characters towards non-whites. Sabra Cravat refers to American Indians as "dirty, filthy savages" and refuses to allow her son to accept a gift of feathered headgear from an Indian. Her husband, Yancey Cravat, has a more sympathetic view, acknowledging that the Indians in the back of the church are not expected to give a monetary contribution to the purchase of a white man's church organ as they have had their land stolen by the white men.

The initial church meeting also highlights his seemingly minority view towards Jews. Sol Levy, a Jewish salesman, is unsure of whether he will be allowed stay in the church meeting but Yancey states that this will be a non-denominational meeting. We have seen earlier in the movie that when Sol is harassed and humiliated by the town gun-slingers, the townsfolk watch and make no effort to intervene. Eventually, Yancey intervenes.

Isaiah, the main black character in the movie, is introduced as a smiling, whistling shoe shiner. But he plays a hero's role later in the movie when he attempts to keep the Cravat children out of harm's way. He dies in his efforts.

Yancey's open minded view of non-whites contradicts his urges to participate in claims for newly opened land in the West bought by the government from the American Indians for far less than its market value - the "Oklahoma Land Rush." He does, however, admit the unfair results of treaties between the U.S. government and the Cherokees. This complexity of racial attitudes is augmented by the flawed natures of the main characters. Yancey is the typical western hero who seeks adventure and who demonstrates chivalry that is otherwise infrequent in the movie. Yet he is deeply flawed. He abandons his family to pursue his western ambitions. There are numerous references to his past as a gunslinger, his friendship with The Kid and the notches on his gun handle. He is patronizing to his wife and ignores all her pleas.

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.

Academy Awards – 1930-31

At the 1931 Academy Awards ceremony at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, Cimarron was the 1st film to get more than six Academy Awards nominations and nominated for the Big Five awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Writing). A special award for make-up was given to Ern Westmore for his work on the film, as well.

It was the Winner of 3 Academy Awards.