In Old Arizona (1929)
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In Old Arizona Movie Review
In Old Arizona is a 1929 western sound film directed by Irvin Cummings and starring Warner Baxter. It is a weaker Best Picture nominee.
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“Her flirting days are over.
And she’s ready to settle down“
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Let’s first talk about the plot which is actually rather good and interesting. I found some of the plot points such as that ending really intriguing and also the first meeting of the sheriff and the outlaw was so well done. Those kinds of plot points prove how smart the antagonist/villain truly is and I really liked his character.
Yes, the Cisco Kid stole the show here for sure. He was a lot of fun and such a fine western creation. Famous and well realized on the big screen here. But Mickey Dunn is more forgettable and Tonia Maria is also not great despite Dorothy Burgess’ really appealing presence. The others are all forgettable.
Edmund Lowe did a good job in his role, but this is entirely Warner Baxter’s show and I have to say that he gave a pretty strong performance overall. He isn’t as theatrical as all the others are and thus his performance aged surprisingly well. He is also pretty charming and his bravado presence suited the character so well. That’s why I’m quite fine with him winning the Best Actor Oscar.
In Old Arizona is a pretty weak film when you discount the protagonist, actor and a couple of plot points. That’s because it is so much concerned with its central romance that it forgets that it’s supposed to be a western in the first place. I actually really liked those western elements, but that romance was forgettable, overdrawn and the film was way too melodramatic in those sequences.
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It is famous for being the first sound outdoors film even though there isn’t a lot of outdoors stuff here. But the film’s well shot for sure, solidly directed and particularly well sound designed as the sound is better than the sound in most of its contemporaries. I liked the beginning and ending, but the entire middle section dragged and was so boring. I can understand the Cinematography nod, but the Directing, Writing and Picture nominations were just too ridiculous.
In Old Arizona is pretty good in its western elements, it has a couple of very interesting plot points and the Cisco Kid is a memorable character for sure. He is so well acted by charismatic Warner Baxter in his Oscar-winning performance. But the movie concerns itself too much with romance instead of western and it’s rather boring and melodramatic there leading to an unappealing middle section. It’s thus an undeserved Best Picture nominee.
