We see the timeline of a nation through three stock market crashes, 1873 to 1929, the building up of the west and the saga of two families that through their genuine love for each other becomes one. Ann Harding is the daughter of a banker who loses all his money in the first crash, and left with nothing, she marries banking hopeful Richard Dix and heads out west to build their own empire. Befriending hotel owner Edna May Oliver and her alcoholic doctor husband Guy Kibbee, they share joys and tragedies, more of the first, especially when an alcoholic accident caused by Kibbee has shocking results. Dix takes on a second role, playing his character's grandson, facing a changing world when the stock market crash of 1929 occurs.
"He'll be a new man in a week, unless he dies." That's how we meet Guy Kibbee whose neglectful actions take two lives. But the results of that do not lead to hate, just the creation of a strength to go on, and the widowed Oliver stands by the family with love and devotion, looking on at Dix and Harding's children as if they were her own and their grandchildren the same. Oliver, cranky and domineering on the outside, is one of those women whose heart is worn on her sleeve, looking on in pride when Dix opens his first bank, being his first depositor and standing by as his and Harding's best friend for many years.
Had there been supporting acting nominations in 1932, I could definitely see Kibbee and Oliver being nominated for this, with all of her a shoe in as a winner. Dix is fine in both roles, but it is Harding who is the surprising excellent performance, getting to show more spark and humor than she did in most of her overly lady like roles. Even with tragedy, she's more than just a woman with dignity. She's a true survivor, and in one scene, has a facial expression that shows a comic talent in her that was usually underplayed.
I thought this was more of a follow-up to "Cimarron", the Academy Award-Winning best picture of 1931, but it's closer in spirit to "Cavalcade" which won best picture in 1933. Only a little bit of it could be considered western, that part dealing with the creation of the town that Dix and Harding settle in, and a scene involving the lynching of robbers who shot Dix and later robbed Oliver and the rest of the town is pretty haunting. Being episodic, it isn't a great film, but it's better than I thought it would be. Perhaps coming out so soon after the depression and dealing with three market crashes made it a bit difficult for audiences to want to see so soon afterwards. But, under the direction of William Wellman, what results is a fine example of storytelling at its best and a definite work of art.
"He'll be a new man in a week, unless he dies." That's how we meet Guy Kibbee whose neglectful actions take two lives. But the results of that do not lead to hate, just the creation of a strength to go on, and the widowed Oliver stands by the family with love and devotion, looking on at Dix and Harding's children as if they were her own and their grandchildren the same. Oliver, cranky and domineering on the outside, is one of those women whose heart is worn on her sleeve, looking on in pride when Dix opens his first bank, being his first depositor and standing by as his and Harding's best friend for many years.
Had there been supporting acting nominations in 1932, I could definitely see Kibbee and Oliver being nominated for this, with all of her a shoe in as a winner. Dix is fine in both roles, but it is Harding who is the surprising excellent performance, getting to show more spark and humor than she did in most of her overly lady like roles. Even with tragedy, she's more than just a woman with dignity. She's a true survivor, and in one scene, has a facial expression that shows a comic talent in her that was usually underplayed.
I thought this was more of a follow-up to "Cimarron", the Academy Award-Winning best picture of 1931, but it's closer in spirit to "Cavalcade" which won best picture in 1933. Only a little bit of it could be considered western, that part dealing with the creation of the town that Dix and Harding settle in, and a scene involving the lynching of robbers who shot Dix and later robbed Oliver and the rest of the town is pretty haunting. Being episodic, it isn't a great film, but it's better than I thought it would be. Perhaps coming out so soon after the depression and dealing with three market crashes made it a bit difficult for audiences to want to see so soon afterwards. But, under the direction of William Wellman, what results is a fine example of storytelling at its best and a definite work of art.