Cimarron Beat Sheet

Cimarron Movie Poster

Here is my attempt at the Beat Sheet for Cimarron (1931). If you would like more information about beat sheets and the 15 beats every great movies shares, check out this page. 

Opening Image – The film opens with the Oklahoma Land Run in 1889. The wagons, horses, and pioneers are waiting at the starting line until noon for the run to begin. 

Set-up – Yancey Cravat is beaten to his land by Dixie Lee, a lady of ill repute. He then travels back to his family and his in-laws in Wichita, Kansas to tell them about the Land Run.

Theme Stated  – According to the Blake Snyder, someone typically states the 'theme' to the protagonist around the fifth minute of the movie.  I believe in this case, the theme was stated by Yancey that Oklahoma is a miracle and a land of opportunity. However, it will be seen that the opportunity is for Sabra to grow into an independent woman. 

Catalyst – Yancey has decided that he wants to move to Oklahoma and be part of the town of Osage which has popped up overnight. His wife, Sabra, agrees to move with him. 

Debate – Sabra's mother is opposed to her moving to Oklahoma, just like she was opposed to her marrying Yancey. She tries to talk her out of moving. 

Break Into Two  – They arrive at the town of Osage and see what a frontier town complete with outlaws is really like. 

B Story – The love story is between Sabra and Yancey. 

Fun and Games – The two of them set up a home, and Yancey establishes a newspaper called the Oklahoma Wigwam. He is seen as a leading citizen and gives the first sermon at a makeshift church, during which he kills the leader of a gang who is wreaking havoc on the town. He later kills "The Kid" who has planned on robbing the bank. Sabra has a baby girl. Yancey decides to leave his wife in 1893 when a second Land Run is going to happen. Sabra does not want to leave the life they are building in Osage. She stays behind and runs the paper in his name.   He returns in 1897.

Midpoint – By 1907, Yancey has risen in stature and is running for governor of Oklahoma. Things look great for the pair. This is a false victory. 

Bad Guys Close In – Man approaches Yancey and asks him to compromise his values and help seize oil that has been found on the Osage Reservation. 

All is Lost – Yancey decides to throw away his chances to be governor by printing a piece in the paper supporting Indian citizenship. He then leaves his wife for a second time. 

Dark Night of the Soul – Sabra is left alone once again. This part of the movie is lacking as it does not show her struggles at all - almost like they don't exist. 

Break Into Three – Sabra has to make things work on her own. Sadly, this part of the movie is also missing and we move forward in time. 

Finale – Sabra has grown in independence and stature until she is elected to Congress. When visiting an oil refinery with other dignateries, a disaster is averted when Yancey sacrifices himself. She is able to talk with him before his death. 

Final Image – A statue modeled on Yancey is revealed celebrating the pioneer spirit of Oklahoma. 

All Quiet on the Western Front Beat Sheet

All Quiet on the Western Front

Here is my attempt at the Beat Sheet for All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). If you would like more information about beat sheets and the 15 beats every great movies shares, check out this page. 

Opening Image – The film opens with title cards describing the war. Then we see a woman washing the floor and a man opens a window on a scene of soldiers marching through the town to songs and cheers. 

Set-up – The war has begun and young men are enlisting everywhere. A teacher calls on his students to enlist, inspiring them to take up arms in defense of the 'fatherland'. When the teacher turns to the student's 'leader' Paul, he says that he will enlist and the others join suit. 

Theme Stated  – According to the Blake Snyder, someone states the 'theme' to the protagonist around the fifth minute of the movie.  However, I believe that the theme of this movie is the final title card before the movie begins which states, "It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped its shells, were destroyed by the war." 

Catalyst – Teacher talks them all into enlisting. 

Debate – Typically, there is some debate before the protagonist begins his journey in the main part of the film. However, once the young men decide, the next scene is in the training camp. This is the beginning of their understanding that life is going to be different. The question, however, in this part is about surviving these changes. 

Break Into Two  – The soldiers are sent to the upside-down world of the Front. 

B Story – The love story is between Paul and Katczinski who acts as his mentor and friend throughout the story. 

Fun and Games – The men learn about what war is really like. They experience the trenches and no man's land. 

Midpoint – Paul's friend Franz has died and Paul is losing his positive attitude. According to him, he never truly understood what death was about, and he never valued his own life so much as before. 

Bad Guys Close In – Fighting gets worse. Paul gets caught in the foxhole where he kills a Frenchman with a knife. He is later wounded and sent to a hospital. He is then sent home. 

All is Lost – Once Paul gets sent home, he realizes that the people there are clueless to the realities of war.

Dark Night of the Soul – Paul doesn't really fit in. He decides to tell the young students in his old school what war is really like to his teacher's chagrin. 

Break Into Three – Paul realizes he must return to the front. 

Finale – He goes back to the front to find Katczinski. Once he finds him, they reconnect. However, Katczinski is killed. Then as Paul reaches for a butterfly, he is shot by a sniper. 

Final Image – The young men are shown marching, just like in the beginning, but this time against the backdrop of a field of soldier's gravestones. 

Wings (1927) Beat Sheet

Here is my attempt at the Beat Sheet for Wings (1927). Blake Snyder published his version of the 15 Beats that every excellent screenplay must have. Wings does not hit every beat precisely in terms of where they should be located in the screenplay. This is partly because it is silent and partly because screenplays were still in an evolutionary phase. With that said, I've attempted my best shot at filling in the blanks. If you would like more information about beat sheets and the 15 beats every great movies shares, check out this page. However, realize that once you see the man behind the curtain, movie watching changes forever. 

Opening Image – The film starts with title cards about the early years of aviation. The last title card before the action card says, "A small town - 1917 - youth and the dreams of youth." The scene opens with Jack taking a nap on the ground where he was daydreaming about flying. 

Set-up – Jack loves to work on cars. His next door neighbor, Mary, is a tomboy who is in love with Jack. They work on his car together which she names the 'Shooting Star', They laugh and have fun together. But when it comes time for him to court a girl, he turns to Sylvia. David is from a wealthy family and is also in love with Sylvia. 

Theme Stated  – Typically the theme of the movie is stated within the first five or so minutes of a movie. However, this being a silent movie, the silent movie isn't 'stated'. However, almost eight minutes into the movie, a title card is put up that says: "So Youth laughed and wept and lived its heedless hour, while over the world hung a cloud which spread and spread until its shadow fell in some degree on every living person." I believe that this is the theme of the movie: that war is hell and that youthful dreams fly away with the realities of war. 

Catalyst – The two men decide to train as aviators to fight in World War I. 

Debate – Jack and David each have to say goodbye to their family and friends. Both men love Sylvia who truly only loves David. However, she doesn't want to send Jack off to war disappointed, so she gives him her picture. Jack also says goodbye to Mary who is obviously in love with him.

Break Into Two  – Jack and David leave their comfortable lives and the innocence of youth behind as they start training camp to become aviators. 

B Story – This is usually the 'love story'. To me, the true love story of this movie was that between Jack and David. They start out as enemies because both love the same girl, but quickly become fast friends.

Fun and Games – Jack and David learn how to fly and then use their skills to win battle after battle. 

Midpoint – The two men have been decorated as war heroes and are sent to Paris for leave. 

Bad Guys Close In – The fighting is fierce. Before Jack and David go up for the huge battle, they get into a fight over Sylvia. They both like her, but David realizes that she will just break Jack's heart as she does not love him. 

All is Lost – Jack thinks that David is dead, even though he is still alive behind enemy lines. He vows to go out and kill the enemy for David.

Dark Night of the Soul – Jack realizes that he has shot down and killed David who was escaping in a German airplane. 

Break Into Three – Traditionally, the third act lasts for about 20% of film. However, that is not the case in this movie. The break into three happens when the the main character chooses to try again or move forward. After David's death, Jack finds a letter that Sylvia wrote David that states she never really loved Jack even though Jack thinks she does. He realizes that David kept this from him out of friendship. He also finds his friend's good luck charm. While it's not clearly stated, this implies his willingness to move past Sylvia and to return the stuffed animal charm to David's parents.

Finale – Now that Jack realizes the truth about Sylvia and David, he realizes that true love was waiting for him in his own backyard - Mary. He comes home at war's end to a hero's welcome and her. 

Final Image – Jack and Mary are in the car, a shooting star goes by and they kiss.