Possibly John Ford's greatest film

Rating: 9/10 (27 July 2011)

When you watch the opening credits of "The Grapes of Wrath" you'll see a veritable parade of legendary names in multiple areas of production: Fonda, Steinbeck, Toland, Newman, Ford. Living up to a lineup like that is a tall order but this film manages it.
For those unfamiliar with Steinbeck's novel, the story concerns a family of depression era farmers who are forced off their land in Oklahoma. They resolve to travel to California in order to seek work but are continually beset with hardships as their hopes are dashed time and again. The screenplay, adapted by Nunally Johnson, was rewarded with an Oscar nomination.
The cast features Henry Fonda in one of his most iconic roles, that of recently paroled Tom Joad. He instills his character with a keen sense of justice, matched with the will to fight back when driven to do so. He was nominated for an Oscar but lost out to James Stewart for his performance in "The Philadelphia Story". I expect that was mainly due to Stewart losing out the year before for "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". Jane Darwell, on the other hand, saw her Oscar nomination turn into a win. As Ma Joad, she was an effective counterpoint to Fonda's character. A couple of other standouts in support were John Carradine as a disillusioned former preacher and John Qualen in a small role.
In terms of technique, the film is practically flawless. John Ford's direction is impeccable and the Gregg Toland cinematography is excellent. Ford took home an Oscar for his work but, strangely, Toland wasn't even nominated. For that matter, Alfred Newman's stirring score wasn't nominated either (perhaps because it's mostly based on the song "Red River Valley").
I haven't read the novel but I know that the storyline of the film deviates from the novel somewhat, particularly when it comes to the ending. Ultimately, though, the movie's grueling enough already; I can't imagine it ending as miserably as the novel supposedly does.
I haven't seen Hitchcock's "Rebecca", either, so I can't say whether or not this movie deserved the Oscar for best picture, though it certainly would have been a worthy choice. Simply put, "The Grapes of Wrath" is an essential American film.