A masterfully engaging and moving a-bomb of hardship.

Rating: 8/10 (15 October 2010)

An enormously powerful and moving narrative of the hardships and perseverance of one poor farming family during the great depression, this film beautifully blends expert cinematography and moving dialogue. The Joad's struggle is hauntingly foreshadowed at the beginning in the Joad's abandoned house, where a mood of tragedy is established. Throughout the film, use of deep contrast and shadow is appropriately used to emphasize moments of despair and sullenness, the preacher often comes in and out of shadow and plays a key role in Tom Joad's development. I found the mother to be exceptionally engaging, owning most of the emotional power and meaning in the dialogue. While the film is mainly a constant bludgeoning of sadness, and it feels as though the Joad's will never be at peace, there are moments of relief. The grandpa serves a dose of comic relief, and the government run housing camp is the only place happiness seems to exist. Over the course of the film you begin to feel connected to the Joads, and start thinking like them. As the Joad's enter the displaced farmers' camp, you feel a sense of apprehension along with Tom, and you find yourself waiting for the next injustice to present itself. You then grow attached to this haven, and feel accomplished when the police scheme against it is thwarted. The beautiful photography, top tier dialogue, and moving story all blend to produce an engaging style typical of great movies; a category in which this film rightly fits.