The Greatest Film Ever Made Until Citizen Kane Was Released

Rating: 10/10 (27 October 2012)

The Grapes of Wrath is a drama directed by John Ford. It was based on John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. It features Henry Fonda,Jane Darwell,John Carradine,Shirley Mills,John Qualen and Eddie Quillan.The screenplay was written by Nunnally Johnson.The film tells the story of the Joads, an Oklahoma family, who, after losing their farm during the Great Depression in the 1930's, become migrant workers and end up in California. The motion picture details their arduous journey across the United States as they travel to California in search of work and opportunities for the family members.
Tom Joad returns to his Oklahoma home after serving jail time for manslaughter. En route, Tom meets family friend Casey, a former preacher who warns Tom that dust storms, crop failures, and new agricultural methods have financially decimated the once prosperous Oklahoma farmland. Upon returning to his family farm, Tom is greeted by his mother, who tells him that the family is packing up for the "promised land" of California. Warned that they shouldn't expect a warm welcome in California--they've already seen the caravan of dispirited farmers, heading back home after striking out at finding work--the Joads push on all the same. Their first stop is a wretched migrant camp, full of starving children and surrounded by armed guards. Further down the road, the Joads drive into an idyllic government camp, with clean lodging, indoor plumbing, and a self-governing clientele. When Tom ultimately bids goodbye to his mother, who asks him where he'll go, he delivers the film's most famous speech: "I'll be all around...Wherever there's a fight so hungry people can eat...Whenever there's a cop beating a guy, I'll be there and when the people are eatin' the stuff they raise and livin' in the houses they build. I'll be there too."
Movies will probably go on improving and broadening themselves; but in any event, The Grapes of Wrath is the most mature picture story that has ever been made, in feeling, in purpose, and in the use of the medium.A potent drama that is as socially important today as when it was made, it is affecting, moving, and deservedly considered an American classic and a great adaptation of the novel.A documentary-styled production for which Ford and cinematographer Gregg Toland demanded painstaking authenticity, it is much more than a classy, old-fashioned history lesson. With dialogue and scenes that rank among the most moving and memorable ever filmed, it's a classic among classics or simply put, one of the finest films ever made.It was often named the greatest American film, until it was dethroned by Citizen Kane.