I was personally a bit disappointed in Cimarron. I'm a big fan of 1930s movies, yet Cimarron doesn't seem to have aged as well as many. The Universal horror classics, Dracula, Frankenstein and The Mummy, as well as the Spanish Dracula, all came out that same year and were sharp and entertaining - although Browning's Dracula dragged a tad in spots. The very next year, enduring classics like Duck Soup, Grand Hotel, Dinner at Eight and the Old Dark House came out. All remain extremely entertaining.
Somehow, Cimarron reminded me of Coquette, Mary Pickford's depressing (and, for her career, disastrous) "talkie" debut. It may have been the lilting, fake accents and laconic deliveries that made me think of Pickford in Coquette and made the dialogue a bit tedious.
It was made in a different era and the stereotypical treatment of the African-American characters will rub many Generation Y & Z viewers the wrong way - especially those who cannot grasp that social mores change over time. I guess the same could be said with Native Americans, although I would counter that Irene Dunn's character is the only one who considers them "savages," and that she shows personal growth during the film, proudly claiming her full-blooded Cherokee daughter-in-law at the end. (The stuttering character is annoying, too.)
To me, though, it seems to be the dialogue and acting of Dunn & Richard Dix that make it hard to get into. That, and the early "talkies" sound still wasn't up to par on this one. Some great films were made in the early 1930s, which are still very entertaining and enjoyable. Despite its Academy Award, I cannot really put Cimarron in that category.
Somehow, Cimarron reminded me of Coquette, Mary Pickford's depressing (and, for her career, disastrous) "talkie" debut. It may have been the lilting, fake accents and laconic deliveries that made me think of Pickford in Coquette and made the dialogue a bit tedious.
It was made in a different era and the stereotypical treatment of the African-American characters will rub many Generation Y & Z viewers the wrong way - especially those who cannot grasp that social mores change over time. I guess the same could be said with Native Americans, although I would counter that Irene Dunn's character is the only one who considers them "savages," and that she shows personal growth during the film, proudly claiming her full-blooded Cherokee daughter-in-law at the end. (The stuttering character is annoying, too.)
To me, though, it seems to be the dialogue and acting of Dunn & Richard Dix that make it hard to get into. That, and the early "talkies" sound still wasn't up to par on this one. Some great films were made in the early 1930s, which are still very entertaining and enjoyable. Despite its Academy Award, I cannot really put Cimarron in that category.