Jankowski's Film Watch
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Reviews
  • Review Search
  • Reviews: A Look Closer
  • Great & Not-So-Great
  • Contact

Movie Reviews

The Best Picture Chronicles #4: Cimarron

8/25/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture

...if creation was creating boredom 

Cimarron is a 1931 Western film directed by Wesley Ruggles and stars Richard Dix and Irene Dunne. It was the first Western film to win Best Picture, and is one of just a small handful to ever do so. 

In 1889, the Oklahoma Territory is freed by the government, prompting thousands to travel and take part in the Oklahoma land rush of 1889. Yancey Cravat (Dix) and his wife, Sabra (Dunne) join the race, but Yancey is outwitted by a woman named Dixie Lee, who takes a valuable piece of the land from him. Yancey then decides to move to the town of Osage, where he begins the Osage Wigwam, a weekly newspaper. 

One of the worst feelings I think someone can get while viewing a film is coming to a point where they simply don't care anymore. Being bored is one thing, but when you tell yourself you no longer care for what you see on screen, the film has completely failed to do its job. That was what came over me as I sat twitchy and impatient in my chair while watching Cimarron. I was not only bored, but I also reached a point where my phone became my prime source of attention. Cimarron turned into background noise. That's as bad as it got. 

High Points: 

- None. I would've said Richard Dix's performance, but he began to grow more narcissistic as the film went along, and I eventually stopped caring for him. Other than maybe a few quality scenes Dix was in, nothing else about Cimarron I found to be worthy of praise. 

Low Points: 

- The weak storytelling. Cimarron moves quite sluggishly, and if it weren't for the occasional title card, you might find yourself completely lost, unless you were still paying close attention from the start. Trying to follow the story is a bother, since random characters come and go and events seem to happen out of nowhere. There is one scene where Dix is supposed to give a sermon to a group of people, but it just comes up unexpectedly and once it's over, there is no mention of it again. The film also keeps jumping ahead several years, with Yancey Cravat coming and going like many of the other characters. 

- The underlying racism. The movie makes a few racial remarks primarily towards Indians. I understand when this was first released, civil rights and equality were not exactly a hot topic, but nowadays, it would rub off the wrong way to any general viewer. 

I could consider the entire movie to be a low. Nothing about Cimarron is memorable or deserving of merit, with poor storytelling, unlikable characters, and a lingering sense of boredom. On top of that, the film may finally push you to that point where you simply do not care. That is film-making at its worst. Cimarron is terrific alright, terrific in generating boredom and wasting your valuable time. How this film won Best Picture is a mystery we may never know. 

Recommend? Absolutely not 

Grade: F
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    About

    Here you'll find my reviews on just about any film you may have seen. I try to avoid major spoilers as much as possible. I structure my reviews in the following way: 

    -An introduction of the film: Its genre(s), year of release, notable actors/actresses, director, etc., and any big awards that the film won 

    -A brief outline of the story 

    -High Points: Parts of the film that I liked, such as an actor's performance, a specific scene, and/or the soundtrack 

    -Low Points: Parts of the film that I did not like 

    -Overall thoughts and a recommendation to see it or not 

    -A grade, ranging from an A+ (the film is absolutely fantastic and a must-see) to an F (the film is a complete disaster and a waste of time) 

    Archives

    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016

    Categories

    All
    A+ Films
    Animation
    Cinematic Dumpster Fires
    Every Best Picture. Ever
    Horror
    Monster Movie Mayhem!
    Y'know A Kid's Movie!

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Reviews
  • Review Search
  • Reviews: A Look Closer
  • Great & Not-So-Great
  • Contact