Very Slow Film

Rating: Null/10 (15 October 2011)

"The Grapes of Wrath" as a film was very similar to the novel in one unfortunate way, it was very slow to develop. It is the story of the Joad family in the dust bowl of the western United States, during the Great Depression of the 1930's. The Joad's are destitute and heading west in hopes of finding a better life. Henry Fonda's portrayal of Tom Joad was the lone bright spot in this film. The plot was very slow and deliberate, by design. The film is meant to portray a struggle, and the fight against hopelessness, which it does well, unfortunately it does it at the expense of keeping the interest of the viewer. The sad, drawn out tale is, plainly put, not very interesting or fun to watch. As a documentary it would have worked by telling such a fine story, but as a film that is meant to entertain an audience it fell flat on its face. Watching this film felt like work more than entertainment, and although it may be understandable because of the subject matter, the end result is a film that is not enjoyable.