Human beings wouldn't stand to live that way.

Rating: 9/10 (12 August 2009)

Forget the politics behind the stories of Steinbeck or the politics of films of Ford. What truly lies at the center of this classic American film is not a socialistic message but rather a universal message; one that says that all people suffer in one way or another and it is the defiance and resistance that separates us from anyone else and our ability to choose not to take this lying down.
The story is well-known: the Joad family is forced off their Oklahoma farm along with thousands of other Dust Bowl victims and decide to move to California in search of jobs and wages. Along the way they encounter kindness, hatred, peace and anger. There are times when the tribulations they face in California are more difficult than trying to survive in the Midwest, but push on they do led by the recently-paroled Tom, played quietly and most effectively by the great Henry Fonda. Jane Darwell won an Oscar for her role as the mother who also does her best to try and keep the fit together despite serious situations that could force them apart. Every other role is well-cast and adds a rich realistic tone to this movie that only makes you feel even more for these people who are just trying to get by each day, hoping for some sort of break or providence as a sign.
I can see how this was such a politically-charged story but I don't think Ford intended that to be the priority of the film. Rather, I think it can all be summed up in the words of the two gas attendants early in the film. One says he thinks Okies have no feelings because no human would live like they do. Really, he was complimenting them as they believed the same way and this whole movie is about them attempting to rise above that which they were previously part of and become part of something better or at least more substantial. All this because they're the people.