Very nearly a perfect film, a wonderful adaptation of a great novel

Rating: 9/10 (12 March 2011)

John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath(1940), an adaptation of perhaps the greatest American novel ever written, does great justice to it's source material. The film is a bit more optimistic and a bit less gritty than the novel but the complex emotions, relationships and social messages of Steinbeck's masterpiece are wonderfully expressed in the film. The acting performances in the film are just about flawless with Jane Darwell contributing one of the great performances in the history of cinema with a tour de force in her portrayal of Ma Joad. Ford's direction is absolutely outstanding in his achievements in setting the perfect tone and mood with great lighting, visuals, sounds and art direction. The only thing keeping me from giving the film a 10 out of 10 is the slightly inconsistent performance by Henry Fonda as Tom. Overall it was a wonderful performance but there were times when it seemed to me like he was hitting the wrong notes. If I were allowed to give the film a 9.8 I would but I just couldn't quite give it a 10. Nevertheless, The Grapes of Wrath(1940)represents American film-making and story-telling at it's finest and it should be required viewing for all American citizens.