Mordaunt Hall of '' The New York Times '' also gave the film a stellar review , calling it , " A graphic and engrossing screen conception of Edna Ferber 's widely read novel ... " , and also praised the handling of the passage of time in this epic . Hall also singled out the performance of Dunne . '' Motion Picture Magazine '' raved , " A great and worthy effort , this transcription of early Oklahoma life will be hailed as one of the high-spots of the year . It has everything . RKO seems to have placed no restrictions upon making it a lavish , bona-fide epic . " John Mosher of '' The New Yorker '' praised the " great care " that had been taken with the historical accuracy of the film 's visual details , that he thought " as good as anything that has come out of Hollywood , and because of this expertness the film gains especial value . " He also wrote that Richard Dix was " certainly at his best in this role . " His only criticisms concerned the second half of the film , that he thought had " sagging moments " and an ending that was too abrupt . '' The Evening Independent '' called it " a notable addition to the small list of pictures that the years have given to the American theater . For in '' Cimarron '' is vested stirring drama , stark beauty , daring and adventure on a plane that is seldom seen on the screen . " The '' West Seattle Herald '' declared that it was " even more powerful than the great story read by millions in America . '' Cimarron '' the picture is all that is gripping in '' Cimarron '' the story . Spectacular scenes abound in this production . " Elizabeth Yeaman of Hollywood Daily Citizen saw the film as a new type of history , writing that , “ Like history , the picture has moments of thrilling glory and moments of repetition and daily routine . Cimarron does not follow the rules of story construction ... It is , in short , a graphic interpretation of a portion of history , the history of the state of Oklahoma from the time of the first great land rush until the present . ” More recent appraisals of the film have not been as positive . '' Cimarron '' currently holds a 53 % approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes , based on 19 reviews , with a weighted average of 5.2 / 10 . The site 's consensus reads : " '' Cimarron '' is supported by a strong performance from Irene Dunne , but uneven in basically every other regard , and riddled with potentially offensive stereotypes " . Assessing the film in 2009 , James Berardinelli called it " an excellent study of how tastes have changed over the years . Critically lauded at the time of its release , '' Cimarron '' was beloved by most who saw it . Eight decades later , it is frequently cited on lists of the most undeserving Academy Award winners and is rightfully impugned for racist overtones and scattershot storytelling . " Steve Evans of '' DVD Verdict '' wrote , " Seen with contemporary eyes , the film is badly dated , slow moving , and pocked with racist caricatures .... The recreation of the great 1889 Oklahoma Land Rush remains an exciting spectacle .... Unfortunately , the film never manages to top this opening shot . " At the 1931 Academy Awards ceremony at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles , '' Cimarron '' was the first film to receive more than six Academy Awards nominations and be nominated for the Big Five awards ( Best Picture , Best Director , Best Actor , Best Actress , and Best Writing ) . Additionally , it is one of only two films ( the other being '' Who 's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? '' ) to receive nominations in every eligible category . It won for three of them , including Best Picture . It would win the first of only two Best Picture Oscars for the studio , the other being awarded to 1946 's '' The Best Years of Our Lives '' . It was the first Western to win the Best Picture award , and it would not be until 1990 when '' Dances with Wolves '' won , that another Western would garner that honor
Academy Awards ceremony
4th Academy Awards
Cimarron (1931 film)