Cimarron

This dignified and worthy remake of the classic 1931 version of Edna Ferber's novel about the Oklahoma Land Rush is, sadly, a misfire. It's the very least of El Cid director Anthony Mann's works, marred by MGM's insistence on studio filming when locations were imperative, and by a hopelessly inept and miscast Maria Schell in the key role of Sabra Cravet. However, Glenn Ford delivers a superb performance as Yancey Cravet, the symbol of an era. The land rush itself is here shown in its complete version - it originally suffered from heavy re-editing - giving some indication of what it could have been with more care taken. Unfortunately, it remains little more than an insubstantial 19th-century melodrama, which is nevertheless, in part, still quite entertaining.