Cimarron (1960) User Reviews

Cimarron; mean, wild and crazy?

[hitchcockthelegend · 5/10 · 3 May 2011]

Cimarron is mostly directed by Anthony Mann and written by Arnold Schulman. It's based on the Edna Ferber novel of the same name and was previously made into a film in 1931. It stars Glenn Ford, Maria Schell, Anne Baxter, Harry Morgan, Russ Tamblyn, Mercedes McCambridge and Lili Darvas. Franz Waxman scores the music and Robert Surtees is the cinematographer. It's a CinemaScope production, filmed in Metrocolor and exterior locations were shot in Arizona.

--At high noon April 22, 1889, a section of the last unsettled territories in America was to be given free to the first people who claimed it. They came from the North, they came from the South and they came from across the sea. In just one day an entire territory would be settled. A new state would be born.

They called it Oklahoma--

With changes from both the novel and the 1931 film, Cimarron 1960 was a big budgeted production. With a huge cast and a running time to match, it was expected to be an epic winner for MGM. It wasn't. For although it has undoubted qualities to please the keen Western fan, it has just too much flab on its belly to let it run free. On the plus side is Surtess location photography and Anthony Mann's ability to stir the blood by way of his action know how. The highlight of the film, and certainly a Western fan's must see sequence, is that of the actual "land-rush" that forms the narrative starting point of the film. A stunning collection of crashes, bangs, death and heartbreak are put together by Mann and the heroes that form the stunt team. Sadly the bar is raised so high so early in the film, it's all down hill from there for expectation and actuality. With the last third of the film laborious in the extreme as an ill equipped Maria Schell attempts to carry the dialogue driven heavy load.

The story is a good one, and Schulman's adaptation doesn't want for trying to reach epic horse opera status. But it's just not a fully formed whole, it comes out as a small group of fine scenes slotted into a gargantuan story of no real distinction. How else can you react to having sat thru two hours of film, to get to the big historical oil strike, to find the film petering out into a series of uninteresting conversations? Much of the problem can maybe be put down to problems off screen? Mann was fired towards the end of production, to be replaced by Charles Walters (High Society), while producer Edmund Grainger himself added scenes in an attempt to clarify the relationship between Yancey (Ford) and Sabra Cravat (Schell). The latter of which was without Mann knowing. This probably accounts for why the final third is so dull. The cast are mostly safe, with Charles McGraw and Aline MacMahon standing out in support slots, the latter of which excels during a graveside scene. But Tamblyn is hopelessly miscast and McCambridge and Baxter are, for different reasons, underused. Waxman scores it as more reflective than sweeping, tho the accompaniment for the "land-rush" sequence is boisterous and uplifting, while hats off to the nice costuming by Walter Plunkett; where Baxter, and us the viewers, benefit greatly.

The great scenes make it a film for Western fans to seek out. But in the context of two of the genre's heroes in Ford and Mann, it's one to easily forget about. 5.5/10

Good but not great

[ryancm · 6/10 · 23 September 2008]

There is a lot right with CIMARRON, but a lot wrong too. Now on DVD in a great transfer/wide screen/stereo sound, it's interesting viewing. Not having read the book I can't compare, but there are several plot doings that don't have any conclusions. The movie is an epic of sorts and would have run hours if everything came together. A bit illocgical at times. Main plot line is Glenn Ford and Maria Schell a newlyweds coming to settle in Oklahoma when free land is available. In the span of over 30 years there is much going happening both good and bad, just like in real life. If I hadn't seen Glenn Ford in so many films I would think his performance would be excellent, but he kind of mumbles and hems and hahs every other sentence in every film he's in. He acts very much like he did in TEASHOUSE OF THE AUGUST MOON just a few years earlier. Better direction was needed for his character. Maria Shell was quite wonderful in a difficult role and she's in almost every frame the last 1/4th of the movie. The support actors are all good to fair. Russ Tamblyn disappoints as the baddie. Anne Baxter does well in an ill-defined role. Looks like most of her performance ended up on the cutting room floor or wasn't even filmed. Too many conflicts go unresolved...but it's still an interesting film with much to admire, especially the the cinematography and music score. Worth a look.

The first half is great...and then it begins to drag badly.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 27 January 2017]

"Cimarron" is much like two films crammed together. The first half is exciting and enjoyable in many ways and the final portion is dull and seems to drag on forever...and then some! Rarely have I seen a film this different at the start and at the finish. As a result, it's a real mixed bag of a movie...worth seeing but it sure should have been a lot better.

When the film begins, Cimarron Cravat (Glenn Ford) is back East to marry a recent immigrant, Sabra (Maria Schell). Her way of life is about to change radically, as she's moving from relative comfort to the wide open Oklahoma Territory in 1889. Cimarron wants to go there for the giant land grant but many things seem to get in the way of his and Sabra's plans. They don't get the land they wanted and soon Cimarron finds himself running a newspaper. He also finds himself a do-gooder--one of the only men willing to stand up to evil. And here is where you start to see cracks in their marriage. Cimarron has a very strong sense of right and wrong but his wife just wants stability and security at all costs. As the years pass, this gulf between them widens and ultimately they both go their separate ways. What's next for the duo?

This Edna Ferber saga is basically the recent history of Oklahoma-- from territory to statehood--and all wrapped around the fictional story of the Cravats. At times exciting and interesting (such as when Cimarron repeatedly risks his life to stand up for the local Indians) and others long, long and long!!! And, rather depressing when all is said and done. The first half merits a 9 and the last a 2! Rarely have I ever seen a film this uneven.

In defense of a much maligned remake

[play78rpms · 31 May 2002]

Sorry but despite the fact that the 1931 version of this novel was the only western film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture it does not compare to the entertainment value of this version. True this is perhaps not the best adaptation of Ms. Ferber's novel, but then how many films are perfect adaptations of their source material. There are wonderful scenes missing from this adaptation, but then there are wonderful scenes missing from the adaptation of GWTW. No, I am not comparing this to a classic like GWTW. But the '31 version is not in the same class as GWTW either. This film should be taken for what it actually is, a good solid epic entertainment with spectacular scenes and good performances. Glenn Ford is perfect casting for Yancy. His performance is far superior to that of the overripe, stilted scenery chewing one delivered by Richard Dix in the original. Ford's boyish manner easily captures the charming immature nature of the character. Maria Schell is on a par with Irene Dunne. It is a pity her character was rewritten from the novel to be weaker than Ferber intended. This was obviously done to make the film Ford's but she's still gives a performance that is on the money. As so do the myriad supporting players in the film. Back in 1960, MGM obviously needed a big movie to move into the theaters that had been playing "Ben-Hur" for over a year. So this production was rushed to completion to fit the bill. The fact that it was shot in Cinemascope instead of a "Big" 70 mm process is evidence of this. It has been written that the production was shut down before the scripted ending could be filmed. This explains the rather abrupt and somewhat awkward end to the film. Perhaps a regular non "Roadshow" release might have fared better both with the critics and at the box-office. It often seems that those who praise the older version over this film have seldom actually seen the former. For many years the 1931 version was not available for viewing. During that period many film historians gushed in their praise of it. When it finally reappeared on screens most of them found it very creaky and revised their opinions but the older opinions are still in print, available and read. True, they didn't change their opinion of this version, but the older fell into proper perspective...Cinema History and rather dry history at that. While this version is not a classic it remains good entertainment. Compare it to "How The West Was Won" made by the same studio just a few years later.

Spectacular and colorful chronicle of frontier in Oklahoma about an adventurer and his wife between 1890-1915

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 18 December 2014]

Edna Feber's saga about newspaper editor and his reluctant wife settle in an Oklahoma boom town along with his fiery ex-girlfriend at the end of the nineteenth century . The picture has an opening credits prologue : At high noon April 22, 1889 a section of the last unsettled territories in America was to be given free to the first people who claimed it. They came from the north and they came from the south and they came from across the sea. In just one day an entire territory would be settled. A new state would be born. They called it Oklahoma. As when the government opens up the Oklahoma territory for settlement, restless Yancey Cravat (Glenn Ford) claims a plot of the free land for himself and moves his family there from Wichita. A newspaperman, lawyer, and just about everything else, Cravat soon becomes a leading citizen of the boom town of Osage. Once the town is established, however, he begins to feel confined once again, and heads for the Cherokee Strip, leaving his family behind. During this and other absences, his wife Sabra (Maria Schell) must learn to take care of herself and soon becomes prominent in her own right.

This impressive epic/historic Western contains thrills , action , shootouts and soap opera . The picture deals with historical deeds as forty years of social and urban progress in American life from 1889-1929 ; the effects of empire building and the Way West are seen through the life of a progressive newspaper editor/lawyer in Oklahoma, and the wife who resents his longing for the excitement of the frontier in the years after the Oklahoma land rush. It results to be a remake to ¨Cimarron¨ (1931) that had Oscar Winner for best picture and best screenplay , being directed by Wesley Ruggles with Richard Dix , Irene Dunne and Estelle Taylor . Yancey Cravat, the character well played by Glenn Ford, was based on real-life lawyer and gunfighter Temple Houston - the son of Sam Houston, who was portrayed in Man of conquest (1939) starred by Richard Dix and upon whom the 1960s western TV series Temple Houston (1963) was based . Nice acting by Anne Baxter , in her memoir "Intermission," Anne Baxter hints that Ford and Schell had become very close during production, but by the time the movie premiered in Oklahoma, the two were not speaking to each other . Secondary cast is frankly excellent , with plenty of familiar faces such as Arthur O'Connell , Russ Tamblyn , Mercedes McCambridge , Vic Morrow ,Robert Keith , Charles McGraw , Harry Morgan, David Opatoshu , Vladimir Sokoloff , Mary Wickes , Edgar Buchanan , L.Q. Jones , Royal Dano and special mention to veteran Aline MacMahon

Overwhelming production design by George W. Davis , among others ; in fact , the land rush scene took a long time to film, using thousands extras, several cameramen, still photographers and a lot of camera assistants . Colorful and evocative cinematography in Cinemascope by Robert Surtees , a magnificent cameraman expert on super-productions . Rousing and breathtaking musical score by classic composer Franz Waxman . This sprawling ¨Soaper¨ picture was lavishly produced by Edmund Grangier and professionally directed by Anthony Mann , though this director was fired near the end of filming and replaced by Charles Walters . Rating : 6 . Decent epic western though overlong and some moments turns out to be indifferent and boring , but it is still worthwhile watching .

One man's hunger for adventure needed to be fed at the cost of his own family

[Ed-Shullivan · 7/10 · 9 February 2023]

Glenn Ford who plays the leading man and adventurer Yancey 'Cimarron' Cravat, was perfectly cast for this western film. It was a time when the wild west was just winding down, when farmers were needed to feed the nation, and when alcohol, gambling, and bar room brawls were common place.

Back when the Oklahoma Land Rush on 22 April 1889 occurred a wild adventurer named Yancey 'Cimarron' Cravat participated in the claim for land and won him and his wife a nice piece of property. Not to be satisfied with being just a farmer Yancey was to become a newspaperman after his friend tragically dies, a lawyer, and just about everything else including a politician as Governor of the new state, Cravat soon becomes a leading citizen of the boom town of Osage.

Such is the life of a restless man who leaves behind more than one broken heart. I give this western adventure a respectable 7 out of 10 IMDb rating.

not bad

[KyleFurr2 · 7/10 · 21 October 2005]

This is a remake of the 1931 movie that won best picture and i haven't seen that one so i can't tell if this one is better or not. This one was directed by Anthony Mann and this is sort of an epic movie and the rest of the movies he directed were epics. Before this Mann had directed several great westerns with James Stewart and Gary Cooper and this one can't compare with those, with the exception of a few like Thunder Bay. The movie starts in 1889 with Glenn Ford just married to Maria Schell and they are moving to Oklahoma for the land rush. Ford doesn't get the land he wants so he decides to run a newspaper instead. They have two kids and the movie shows them grow up and Ford winds up getting a change at becoming Governor. It's a pretty good western that doesn't seem to be that well known.

big early land rush

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 1 July 2022]

It's 1889. Sabra Cravat is a sheltered woman newly married to Yancey "Cimarron" Cravat (Glenn Ford). Cimarron has done many things in the west and is eager to join the Oklahoma land rush.

This has an epic land rush section. The masses of people and horses are very impressive. It's a great sequence and it's over at the forty minutes mark. After that, it's almost two more hours of western melodrama. This has two Oscar nominations, both for technical categories. Again, the big production does showcase that aspect of the film. The story is somewhat take it or leave it. I'm mostly leaving this other than the land rush. I don't particularly like Cimarron even though he's a good guy. It's the naked Sabra with the boys. That scene rubs me the wrong way. The epic land rush is good old fashion filmmaking and I can live with the rest of it.

Every Bit As Good As The First Time

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 29 November 2007]

I've always liked the 1960 remake of the RKO classic Cimarron and have never understood why it gets panned by so many people the way it does. Director Anthony Mann who got fired towards the end of the film's production did a very good job with both the cast and the spectacle. The Oklahoma land rush scene was as thrillingly done as it was in the 1931 version.

In fact truth be told, Glenn Ford did a better job as frontier renaissance man Yancey Cravat. Richard Dix though nominated for Best Actor in 1931 never did quite master the art of sound film and his star progressively sank lower and lower in Hollywood. Glenn is a strong heroic figure cursed with the fatal flaw of wanderlust.

Truth also be told is that many different accents made up the western pioneer population. Maria Schell's German accent is most assuredly not out of place here and she holds her own with Irene Dunne's portrayal of Sabra Cravat.

All the characters present in Edna Ferber's saga of the transforming of Oklahoma from territory to state made it from the first film. All of them meet during the Oklahoma land rush and while Glenn and Maria are the leads, the story of the film is what happens to all of them.

One character is expanded considerably from the 1931 film. Edna May Oliver was Mrs. Wyatt who was a pioneer woman whose husband we never did meet. Here Mrs. Wyatt is played by Mercedes McCambridge who is married to Arthur O'Connell who is very important to the story. They're this hardscrabble share cropper family who get a real scrubby piece of land at the beginning of the land rush, mainly because O'Connell falls off the stagecoach right at the beginning of the land rush and Mercedes runs across the starting line and she claims the land right at the line.

It turns out the land has oil and these people become the proverbial beggars on horseback. McCambridge remains unchanged by their sudden wealth, O'Connell is very much like that other nouveau rich oil millionaire that Edna Ferber created, Jett Rink. From people who the Cravats lent a hand to back in the day, O'Connell at least becomes an opponent.

One character that was eliminated thank the Deity was the black kid Isiaih who hero worshiped Richard Dix in the 1931 version. In 1960 that kind of racial stereotype would not have been tolerated.

The cast includes also such fine people as Anne Baxter, Edgar Buchanan, Russ Tamblyn, Vic Morrow, Aline McMahon, Robert Keith, Charles McGraw, all ably filling out parts from the original version. The land rush scene is every bit as good as the first time around.

I'm at a loss as to why this film was panned the way it was. It's a very good western and fans of the genre will appreciate it.

Enjoyable pioneer saga

[patriciahammond · 8/10 · 14 August 2005]

I admit to not having read the book (but will now go to abe.com to find it!) or seen the earlier film, but find it interesting to compare this enjoyable movie with 'Giant'(Stevens, 1956), which incidentally also had Mercedes McCambridge in it, also concerned an essentially ill-matched couple, prejudice, mixed-race marriage, early oil-barons, and also takes in a number of years in which we see the characters grow older.

Unlike the other reviewers here, I did NOT find Maria Schell's accent annoying in the least. She makes a wonderfully believable pioneer (note: the accent is genuine, which also sets her apart from many other Hollywood 'foreigners') and she has a pleasingly natural acting style. She shines beautifully when she is interacting with other women, be it the wildcat and part-time prostitute Anne Baxter in one of the finest scenes of the film (smouldering and feisty but underused I think) or the earthy and magnificent McCambridge, whose subtle but hilarious Southern accent is expertly modulated and a joy to the ear. So many scenes between women in Westerns of this time are somewhat flat and stagey, but I think they're superb here and set this film apart.

Glenn Ford is good, and although the film rather tries to do too much (as does Giant, in my opinion), it's really a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon or even a hot afternoon. Plenty happens along the way and it has something to say.

Not bad but Glenn can't carry it

[thomreid · 6/10 · 29 November 2012]

I haven't seen this all the way thru since 1965; but have seen bits and pieces of it on TCM (thank God for them). Maria Schell is fine as Sabra,and Glenn Ford sporadically shines and then falls flat as an epic hero.

I like the other epic qualities, as well as the excellent supporting cast that seems to carry the movie along.

I also noticed during the sequence with the train coming in supposedly carrying Yancey from the Spanish American War: the big bell tower in the background is from "Raintree County" (1957).

Good music score.

An Anthony Mann western dud

[pmtelefon · 4/10 · 30 December 2018]

The 1931 "Cimarron" is no classic. I like it despite it's shortcomings. I like it because it has an early talky charm to it and Richard Dix is very watchable. His style of acting is long gone but he does something Glenn Ford could not. He makes Yancey likable. Ford's Yancey is a self righteous jerk. Ford was a movie star and knew how to handle a camera but he disappears from screen for most of the last hour of the movie. During that span "Cimarron" falls into the hands of Maria Schell. She's not strong enough to carry a movie. "Cimarron" also suffers from a staginess that could have been avoided considering the budget. Sure it looks great when they get the camera outside. But, for the most part, it's all sets and studio backlots. It's boring to look at. The biggest thing that the 1931 version has over the 1960 one is the running time. 1931 version is a half hour shorter.

Very good!

[darth_sidious · 11 December 2000]

Haven't read the novel, but really enjoyed the picture.

The film has so much warmth from its characters. The direction was nice. The stunt work was amazing, quite incredible how it was all achieved.

The film maybe missing the finer points of the novel, but for many people who haven't read it, the film delivers an interesting portrayl of how capitalism takes over the inner lands of America. The evolution of the characters, from being poor to being greedy. The film features many other themes, including infidelity and racism.

The picture could've been 30 minutes longer.

Glenn Ford is brilliant, as is Maria Schell, albeit with an annoying accent.

Enjoyed the direction by Mann and the photography wasn't bad at all.

Overall, an enjoyable film! See it in wide-screen.

Edna was no Louis L'Amour

[fredit-43004 · 7/10 · 6 October 2022]

This epic film is perfectly acceptable, but I don't think of it as a western. True, a few cowboys are involved early, along with bounties, and the mistreatment of Native Americans. I think Edna Ferber was writing a period piece, from not too distant in her own past. There was just as much tension in the plot from class warfare and social climbing as there was from typical western themes. Edna Ferber seemed to focus more on character than on plot developments (which frequently tended toward melodrama), but she was writing a novel and not a treatment for a screenplay. I thoroughly enjoyed the film for what it was, not for what it should have been.

A great synopsis of how the Oklahoma Territory was founded

[riprod58 · 7/10 · 8 March 2014]

For all Glenn Ford Fans, this is a must see, his great horsemanship is legendary, playing a man living by his own code of ethics in a day when greed over land, oil, and money transformed the American West into a industrialized and mechanized part of this country. This is what killed the cowboy, the Indian, and the farmer towards the end of the 19th century. Glen Ford should have got the Oscar for his performance, as well as an Oscar for Maria Schell who played his wife. The portrayal of the Oklahoma Indians is subdued at best, every time it surfaced in the film it was pushed to the side and made sublime, like we should already know their plight...however the leading character Yancy, was a champion for their causes, education, land struggles, and civil rights...the screenplay just leaves that part hanging and sporadically tosses in small talk concerning the Indians leaving any understanding up to the viewers own research.... Being a movie over 90 minutes I understand why this was not covered, it would take a whole other film to cover it, and another time... another time

surprisingly well done Western Soap Opera led by a wonderful Maria Schell

[mikesheldon55-1 · 8/10 · 10 April 2006]

I just caught this movie on TCM and, up front, I tend to hate these kind of oats-sudsers. This movie had so much going on (plot, characters, cameos, Western clichés) that it just screamed Cinerama (Think 'How the West was Won') but it had one major aspect that took me by surprise: a well-written and extremely well-acted characterization by Maria Schell. She's actually the major star of this movie...Glenn Ford disappearing entirely the last 1/4.....and she handles every bit of it with humor, passion, and just the right amount of country ham. She's never a perfect wife or mother, and doesn't just change to fit the scene. I was just killing time watching this...and I honestly was fascinated. I had no idea who it was until I looked it up here (I hate that TCM often doesn't run credits) but now I want to see some other performances by her to see if she was this good all the time.

Starts Out Excellent, Then Turns Into A Dang Girl Movie! (Someone had to say it.)

[FightingWesterner · 3/10 · 28 February 2010]

I've seen movies that were so-so, left me feeling indifferent, or were completely boring. This one was maddeningly unsatisfying, as the first half was so good, bringing tears to my eyes, while the second half was absolutely awful.

After an excellent start, including an incredible, well staged recreation of the Oklahoma land rush and a vivid account of life in a growing frontier community, Cimarron bogs down and never recovers.

Glenn Ford is fantastic and likable as an extroverted dreamer, who despite many disappointments, tries to have a positive affect on the people around him, making for a very poignant hour or so, until it becomes way too apparent that the town portrayed in the movie is absolutely loaded with unpleasant characters and no matter what Ford does, his efforts always lead to terrible and unsatisfying conclusions, with no one in the film ever achieving true happiness or triumphing in any way!

This eventually turns into a lame, schmaltzy soap-opera that meanders and becomes quite tedious, with Maria Schell as Ford's wife, becoming increasingly shrill, while Ford begins to drift in and out of the picture, finally disappearing for good.

Instead, watch How The West Was Won, another multi-generational salute to the old west, that actually has a little triumph to go along with the tragedy or even the 1931 version of Cimmaron, which isn't that great, but is still preferable to this.

One of the few pre-1965 westerns with depth, without being preachy

[donmage · 10/10 · 16 September 2005]

To sum up a in a sentence, this movie is about what happens with a couple in an early pioneer town of Oklahoma, where a man gets to do what he wants and a woman must do what she must. This is one of those movies that, unlike 90% of the "westerns" before the realist period (1965-present), has a lot more realism than one would expect from one produced in 1960. Not only does it depict violent racism, 19th century views on women, wayward youth, etc., it also depicts the nuances prevalent in a man desiring to give up, but incapable of burying, his wanderlust ideals (men are just boys with bigger toys) for the sake of his family. Just when one thinks the plot has died a death of boredom, another wrinkle of interest pushes it's way to the viewing screen provoking an astute viewer's enthusiasm for the story. Cimarron is one of those movies with just enough realism that it is a welcoming bridge from the 1950s 'cowboys & Indians' saccharine period to the ultra-realist, albeit minimalist, "spaghetti" westerns. If one doesn't fall in love (not in an amorous way) with Maria Schell in this movie then they haven't much of a heart anyway. This is a great western-genre movie with lots of characters to care about lovingly or with disdain.

Anthony Mann????

[churei · 5/10 · 26 July 2018]

Anthony Mann had become one of the major directors of westerns and fast-paced cinema. But such a belief is questioned by this over-acted, over-produced, badly written film. It is said that Mann left the film and was replaced by Charles Walters, who, obviously, was not a man for this kind of film. Even the large-scale land-rush scene is pure 'piffle'. The script is a mish mash of every cliche in the book. I do see the somewhat vague parallel to Ferber's later 'Giant', but the film of that book was a masterwork; this one is the bottom of the ladder. Glenn Ford is caught with every cliche. Wonderful Maria Schell is all 'smiles' and semi-smiles and poor! Perhaps the worst acting, and worst writing, is saved for Anne Baxter, looking and acting as if she was still being DeMille-d in 'The 10 Commandments'. Plot holes are everywhere, and logic is nowhere is sight. The opening song, under the credits, paves the way for awfulness that follows it for its interminable length. It can't really be attributed to Mann. Only MacMahon has a good moment, and not even McCambridge, O'Connell,Keith, Tamblyn, etc. can offer assistance.

Great historically based film.

[lcallman · 10/10 · 23 October 2005]

I first saw this movie at ten years old and read the book shortly thereafter. I now own a first edition. Coming from Oklahoma, this beautiful "love story" made my young heart yearn. I imagine that this is exactly what the Oklahoma Land Run looked and felt like. Please see, if for no other reason than for how handsome Mr. Ford and Ms. Schell are! Although there were many moments that took my breath away, prepare yourself for an ending that you both do and do not expect. It will make young women sigh and older women understand the meaning of true love. "Cimarron" is larger than life - a spectacular movie that contains history, action and heartbreak.

Edna, how could you?

[My2Cents-2 · 7 March 1999]

I thought perhaps the reason this version of "Cimarron" butchered its source material was because Edna Ferber was dead by the time it was made. But no, she didn't die until 1968. I can't believe she gave her stamp of approval to this film, which, while visually stunning, bears very little resemblance to her novel.

Glenn Ford was a heck of an actor, but too much the strong 'n' silent type to play such a flamboyant character as Yancey Cravat. Maria Schell's accent is distracting, and her Sabra is whiny, clingy and devoid of most of the strength and heroism I love about Ferber's female characters.

The 1931 "Cimarron" is a far more faithful adaptation of the novel, but be warned: The character of Isaiah (conveniently left out of the 1960 version) is an offensively exaggerated black stereotype, which, unfortunately (sorry, Edna) is also true to the book.

Uneven land and love

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 19 May 2020]

My expectations were quite mixed for 'Cimarron'. Its biggest draw being the talent in front of and behind the camera, there are some fine actors here and Anthony Mann showed in the likes of 'Winchester 73' that he was a gifted director. Was everything he did great? No, but he did do a fair share of great work. At the same time, part of me was apprehensive seeing that it was a remake of the 1931 'Cimarron', which admittedly didn't do much for me and is one of my least favourite Best Picture winners.

1960's 'Cimarron' was neither great or terrible. Personally found it a very uneven film (frustratingly so), and for the reasons said already and a mixed bag. Hence the mixed feelings rating and conflicted review. It could have been much better and it is not hard to see why it wasn't and still isn't well received, but also it was not that bad and actually from personal opinion it's marginally better than the 1931 film major flaws (and there are many of those) and all.

Do agree that 'Cimarron' does start off really well. The photography is really beautiful to watch and shows that the story fares much better in colour. While the settings would have benefitted better from being real locations and not being studio sets, they still have a handsome grandeur about them. Franz Waxman's score is typically melodious and sweeping and the rousing credits song is one of three main things that stayed with me after watching.

The other two being the jaw-dropping land rush sequence, even those that didn't care for the film say that it was a remarkable sequence and they are right. It is the standout scene visually and is both tense and somewhat moving. And the superb performance of the always worth watching Glenn Ford, that is leagues better and much more natural and charismatic than the earlier interpretation of the same role of Richard Dix. Most of the rest of the cast also do well, especially Aline McMahon and Edgar Buchanan.

Not everybody in the cast comes off well. Russ Tamblyn, so good in 'West Side Story' and 'tom thumb', never really gelled in the setting and took me out of it, also felt the role was too big for him. Anne Baxter actually does very well and is poignant, the problem was the way her part was written which felt heavily truncated and incomplete. Worst is a hopeless and completely out of her depth Maria Schell, who really irritates from her wild over-acting and it was clear she had no idea what to do with her role.

'Cimarron' is badly let down by the second half, which is deadly (interminably even) dull and little more than very watery and overwrought soap-opera. The story starts off well, but it becomes far too slight and uneventful in the second half, and the sprawling nature of it makes it not always easy to follow completely. This contributed heavily towards the sluggishness, so by the end the film felt very overlong. Have no issue with long films, some very long films such as 'Ben-Hur', 'The Ten Commandments', 'Gone with the Wind' and 'Napoleon' are classics, but it's how it's executed as to whether it matters or not. It did here. The script is similarly leaden and the soap really gets too much, the flow was also quite awkward and disjointed. Mann's direction was solid initially but then became uncertain and plodding later on.

All in all, watchable but very uneven. 5/10

A glorious failure

[MisterMickey · 10/10 · 22 August 2005]

CIMARRON didn't do well at the box-office, and what a pity. Then again, it's the story of a man who was considered to be a failure in life by those who knew him, yet, when you look at him, Yancey Cravat was the most successful man around. It took me several viewings of the film to recognize this, and for that, I'm ashamed of myself.

The 1931 version is more faithful to Edna Ferber's novel. However, this version, which contains one of Glenn Ford's best performances, is more entertaining, and has an outstanding Franz Waxman score. It's the tale of a man who lives by his own personal code, living by his conscience, and suffers the consequences for it.

CIMARRON is a film that cries to be seen in widescreen, and hopefully gets such a release in DVD. Until then, TCM is the place to watch it. Anthony Mann went from making westerns to epics, and with this film, he was in the best of both worlds.

Love it or Leave it

[tedg · 3 March 2009]

I did not see this when it was new. I remember thinking that it wasn't worth the effort then. It is less worth it now.

Its device is its scope, both in time and size. There are not one but two land grabs. it spans 25 years and much attention is spent on the theatrics of the sets. It must have been a strange year for this to have done well. At least we can value it to the extent that its success for Columbia made the scope of Lawrence of Arabia possible for MGM.

The story here is only there to support a celebration of settlers of Indian territories and to pull out a specific type which we are to admire as an ideal, an ideal American.

He is a champion of justice and a man of action. His adherence to certain principles punishes him. He is a proponent of civil rights here coded as Indian rights. What's not to like?

Well. He loves the adventure of the land. We get great vistas that anchor him in the place, a convention of Westerns since Ford. But he is not a man of the land, he is a city boy who likes adventure. That's this film's basic undoing of ideals.

It's reflected in the parallel western convention of woman as place. This guy loves deeply but he just can't settle with a woman. We see two.

When they meet, they talk of wives as mothers, companions and lovers. We are to admire that he does not need the first, is companion to nearly everyone and is deep in his love.

The narrative power of this idea by itself would be weak in any package. It is even worse here because of the inept direction. We see this more sharply now because of the obsolete acting and staging styles.

Ann Baxter is a pretty prostitute whose story of self is close to our hero. Though she has less screen time than the immigrant wife, we are to see her as genuine. It's really about her as the land, as the place, and why it isn't the blond wife.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

An epic Western but the story is just a little slow

[rooster_davis · 8/10 · 8 July 2008]

Fourteen years after I first reviewed it, I'm back to change my rating from a 6 to an 8.

There is no mistaking the fact that Cimarron is an epic of a movie. Lots of big scenes and scenery, from land rush scenes to a New Years Eve ball. This certainly was not a cheaply made film. The story is about a man and woman who start out making their way in the new frontier and end up with distance between them because they look at things differently. It's one of those movies that you really appreciate more after you've seen it and given it some time to sink in. Glenn Ford is a favorite of mine and all the other roles are well-played by the rest of the cast. While the story takes place in the Old West it's not so much a Western as a family drama that took place back then. (Don't worry, there are some fights and gun scenes, but that is not the focus of the story.)

I hope it doesn't sound sexist but I can tell when something was written by a woman, as I understand was the case for the book on which this movie is based. Maybe that's why there was less violence than might otherwise have been. Hey, I like a good violent western, okay? Russ Tamblyn was a standout in a rather minor role, playing the son of a friend of Glenn Ford's. On his own from an early age he's drifting into trouble and rebuffs Ford's attempts to help him make something of himself. I thought it was one of the better roles I've seen him play - he made a very convincing young 'whiskey bellied saddle tramp' as Ford called him.

There was an earlier version of this movie made sometime in the 30s I think, and it absolutely pales in comparison though it was highly regarded at the time. This is the better version by a mile. Get a big bowl of popcorn and settle in for the show.