Cimarron (1960)
Overview
The epic story of a family involved in the Oklahoma Land Rush of April 22, 1889.
Cast
Glenn Ford
Yancey 'Cimarron' Cravat
Maria Schell
Sabra Cravat
Anne Baxter
Dixie Lee
Arthur O'Connell
Tom Wyatt
Russ Tamblyn
William Hardy, The Cherokee Kid
Mercedes McCambridge
Mrs. Sarah Wyatt
Vic Morrow
Wes Jennings
Robert Keith
Sam Pegler
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Thinking as I have, upon seeing the two versions (on consecutive days) depicting the fourth (from April 22, 1889) of the five Oklahoma land rushes, I have to reconsider my initial impression that the 1931 film was marginally better than this, Mann's 1960 version. I realize I'm not a member of the Glenn Ford Fan Club by any stretch of the imagination, but his co-stars are WAY better, and in Anthony Mann, you find a master of both the Western and the epic format (his later 'The Fall of the Roman Empire' is one of my favourite films from the 60's).
A jar of beeswax could have out-acted Richard Dix's performance in the original (it's a dirty rotten shame HE even got nominated for Best Actor, in a year when MANY outstanding actors were overshadowed, not being so honoured), but I have to admit Ford was good, even if IMHO he didn't deserve the honour of being front-and-center of a 2 1/2 hour epic, and you can't beat what Maria Schell, Anne Baxter, Harry Morgan and Vic Morrow--just to name a select few--brought to the picture.
Some scenes in the 1931 original still work better, but overall I believe this is one case in which the remake is better than the original. I further would insist that had Mann not been fired and replaced by Charles Walters, it would have been a minor masterpiece.
