The Grapes Of Wrath [1940]

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Editorial reviews

Synopsis
A moving story of the migration to California of an Oklahoma family during the 'Dust-Bowl' period of the 1930's. Henry Fonda gives a sterling performance as Tom Joad, a poor farmer who refuses to be beaten down by misfortune and oppression. Based on a novel by John Steinbeck.

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2004-07-23 rating:
"I'll be all aroun' in the dark."
"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loos'd the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword, His truth is marching on." - Battle Hymn of the Republic.

In 1936, John Steinbeck wrote a series of articles about the migrant workers driven to California from the Midwestern states after losing their homes in the throes of the depression: inclement weather, failed crops, land mortgaged to the hilt and finally taken over by banks and large corporations when credit lines ran dry. Lured by promises of work aplenty, the Midwesterners packed their belongings and trekked westward to the Golden State, only to find themselves facing hunger, inhumane conditions, contempt and exploitation instead. "Dignity is all gone, and spirit has turned to sullen anger before it dies," Steinbeck described the result in one of his 1936 articles, collectively published as "The Harvest Gypsies;" and in another piece ("Starvation Under the Orange Trees," 1938) he asked: "Must the hunger become anger and the anger fury before anything will be done?"

By the time he wrote the latter article, Steinbeck had already published one novel addressing the agricultural laborers' struggle against corporate power ("In Dubious Battle," 1936). Shortly thereafter he began to work on "The Grapes of Wrath," which was published roughly a year later. Although the book would win the Pulitzer Prize (1940) and become a cornerstone foundation of Steinbeck's Literature Nobel Prize (1962), it was sharply criticized upon its release - nowhere more so than in the Midwest - and still counts among the 35 books most frequently banned from American school curricula: A raw, brutally direct, yet incredibly poetic masterpiece of fiction, it continues to touch nerves deeply rooted in modern society's fabric; including and particularly in California, where yesterday's Okies are today's undocumented Mexicans - Chicano labor leader Cesar Chavez especially pointed out how well he could empathize with the Joad family, because he and his fellow workers were now living the same life they once had.

Having fought hard with his publisher to maintain the novel's uncompromising approach throughout, Steinbeck was weary to give the film rights to 20th Century Fox, headed by powerful mogul and, more importantly, known conservative Daryl F. Zanuck. Yet, Zanuck and director John Ford largely stayed true to the novel: There is that sense of desperation in farmer Muley's (John Qualen's) expression as he tells Tom and ex-preacher Casy (Henry Fonda and John Carradine) how the "cats" came and bulldozed down everybody's homes, on behalf of a corporate entity too intangible to truly hold accountable. There is Grandpa Joad (Charley Grapewin), literally clinging to his earth and dying of a stroke (or, more likely, a broken heart) when he is made to leave against his will. There is everybody's brief joy upon first seeing Bakersfield's rich plantations - everybody's except Ma Joad's (Jane Darwell's), that is, who alone knows that Grandma (Zeffie Tilbury) died in her arms before they even started to cross the Californian desert the previous night. There is the privately-run labor camps' utter desolation, complete with violent guards, exploitative wages, lack of food and unsanitary conditions; contrasted with the relative security and more humane conditions of the camps run by the State. And there is Tom's crucial development from a man acting alone to one seeing the benefit of joining efforts in a group, following Casy's example, and his parting promise to Ma that she'll find him everywhere she looks - wherever there is injustice, struggle, and people's joint success. In an overall outstanding cast, which also includes Dorris Bowdon (Rose of Sharon), Eddie Quillan (Rose's boyfriend Connie), Frank Darien (Uncle John) and a brief appearance by Ward Bond as a friendly policeman, Henry Fonda truly shines as Tom; despite his smashing good looks fully metamorphosized into Steinbeck's quick-tempered, lanky, reluctant hero.

Yet, in all its starkness the movie has a more optimistic slant than the novel; due to a structural change which has the Joads moving from bad to acceptable living conditions (instead of vice versa), the toning down of Steinbeck's political references - most importantly, the elimination of a monologue using a land owner's description of "reds" as anybody "that wants thirty cents and hour when we're payin' twenty-five" to show that under the prevalent conditions that definition applies to virtually *every* migrant laborer - and a greater emphasis on Ma Joad's pragmatic, forward-looking way of dealing with their fate; culminating in her closing "we's the people" speech (whose direction, interestingly, Ford, who would have preferred to end the movie with the image of Tom walking up a hill alone in the distance, left to Zanuck himself). Jane Darwell won a much-deserved Academy-Award for her portrayal as Ma; besides John Ford's Best Director award the movie's only winner on Oscar night - none of its other five nominations scored, unfortunately including those in the Best Picture and Best Leading Actor categories, which went to Hitchcock's "Rebecca" and James Stewart ("The Philadelphia Story") instead. Still, despite its critical success - also expressed in a "Best Picture" National Board of Review award - and its marginally optimistic outlook, the movie engendered almost as much controversy as did Steinbeck's book. After the witch hunt setting in not even a decade later, today it stands as one of the last, greatest examples of a movie pulling no punches in the portrayal of society's ailments; a type of film regrettably rare in recent years.

"Ev'rybody might be just one big soul - well it looks that-a way to me. ... Wherever men are fightin' for their rights, that's where I'm gonna be, ma. That's where I'm gonna be." - Woody Guthrie, "The Ballad of Tom Joad."

"The highway is alive tonight, but nobody's kiddin' nobody about where it goes. I'm sittin' down here in the campfire light, with the ghost of old Tom Joad." - Bruce Springsteen, "The Ghost of Tom Joad."

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review by: 1000_pages date: 2004-05-12 rating:
Ford's depiction of the Great Depression
Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) has just been released from jail. He returns to his Oklahoma home to find that his family have been kicked off of their farm due to foreclosure. Like nearly all of the other farmers, Tom and his large family load up their belongs and head to California to find work. Along the way they manage to find some work but it amounts to nothing more than slave labour. The ending attempts to be hopeful but is in no way resolved.

This film was adapted from a John Steinbeck novel. It is much more optimistic than Steinbeck's account. The film also eliminates a lot of the political edge found in Steinbeck's book. It chooses to focus more on family and the importance of the family unit when going through hard times, i.e.: The Great Depression, as well as show a universal account of American society. That's not to say it differs greatly from the book, but quite the opposite because at the time of its release it was praised for being as faithful to the book as it could have.

John Ford's political stance pointed more towards conservatism. He was a member of the Republican Party. And so what is interesting when looking at The Grapes of Wrath is that is it the most popular left wing film of pre-war Hollywood. Within its socialist framework the film realistically depicts the truth of the Great Depression and the result it had on the thousands of farmers who suffered from oppression imposed by banks etc... On a wider level the Joad family are seen to be the social microcosm.

A reason for the films realism lies in Fords direction. He shot the film with a distinct documentary feel. This included location shooting, and little rehearsal to make it more spontaneous (the final scene used in the film is a read through and the actors were not aware they were being filmed). The landscape of rural America is also something that adds immense realism to the film.

This is a film that tries to attain the 'American dream' amid great adversity. Ma Joad's (Jane Darwell) speech at the end of the film takes away the desperation seen throughout the film. She talks with hope and optimism saying 'Rich fellas come up an' they die, an' their kids ain't no good, an' they die out. But we keep a-comin'. We're the people that live. They can't wipe us out. They can't lick us. We'll go on forever, Pa, 'cause we're the people.'

Ultimately this is a realistic, socialist depiction of The Great Depression. It leaves the viewer feeling comforted, optimistic and hopeful for the Joad's. This would have also been the feeling in 1940, a year before the Great Depression officially ended.

This is a film that can give you a taste of what it may have been like to live during 1930s America. It is seminal for this reason and worthy of watching.

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review by: date: 2001-05-16 rating:
AN ALL TIME CLASSIC
This is a portrayal of the 'good old American Dream' flawed. Set in the backdrop of the great depression, the Joab meet tragedy upon tragedy. This must be one of the best performances ever from the late great Henry Ford, wonderfully supported by the entire cast. Buy it, it's a collectors must!

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review by: date: 2000-07-08 rating:
Beautiful film
A beautiful and intens film, depicting the desperate trip of the Joab family, who -like many of their fellow men- loaded all their belongings on a truck and left their farm in Oklahoma to find work in California, only to find tragedy and betrayal on their way. The characters are beautifully portrayed, not only the lead characters but also the people the Joads meet on the road and the movie appears to give a good image of the US at that time. I think the book of John Steinbeck is certainly one of the best ever written and should be read seperately from the film. But the film certainly was not a dissapointment compared with the book, although one should keep in mind that often a film made after a book is not identical to that book.


review by: date: 2000-04-07 rating:
Absolute histrionic bathos
This film, 'based' on Steinbeck's novel, is an absolute travesty. Not only does the script aberrate from the story but it flagrantly negates the whole crux of the book: that the American dream is a sham. The ending is completely in the wrong vain. Obviously because of censorial restrictions at the time, much of violent elements had to be expurgated. But the theme is ignored at the peril of film. The oscars were a sympathy vote. Read the book instead, a true classic.

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Similar categories

Video . Video . Categories . Classic Films . Drama . 1940s
Video . Video . Categories . Classic Films . Actors . Mills, John
Video . Video . Categories . Classic Films . Directors . Ford, John
Video . Video . Categories . Drama . General
Video . Video . Refinements . Condition (condition-type)
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Drama
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Classics . Drama
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . BBFC Rating (intended_use_browse-bin) . PG
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Release Date (feature_three_browse-bin) . 1940 - 1949
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Editions (feature_two_browse-bin) . Standard Edition
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Language (theme_browse-bin) . English
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . VHS

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