Wherever they're showing the Grapes of Wrath, that's where I'll be

Rating: 10/10 (2 April 2006)

Do I have your attention? Okay: Go out and watch this movie immediately because to not do so is, well, it's un-American. John Ford, with this nifty little film, made the greatest argument for populist/socialist politics in cinematic history. This movie understands the Depression and the Dust Bowl and the poor and the hungry and the starving and all those people that the sign at Ellis Island (or is it at the Statue of Liberty?) says that we'll take on and help. It understands those people better than anyone or anything else I know. Steinbeck's novel helps this movie get to where it needs to be, but, let's be honest, the Grapes of Wrath is all John Ford.
The sweeping vistas, the excellent editing and pacing, and the acting are of the highest caliber, as befits a John Ford film. I'm amazed every time I see this movie just how moving it is without straying into trite sentimentality. Tom Joad's speech at the end always makes me cry--his chilly delivery of the word homicide at the beginning continues to give me a prickly spine. Fonda was a great actor, and he is certainly at the top of his game here. Without him, interestingly, the film would have probably floundered. No one else could have possibly played Tom Joad; no one would have that charm and charisma and, most importantly, that voice. The rest of the cast is amazing, don't misunderstand, but Henry Fonda is Henry Fonda--an actor unto himself. There is no one like him and never will there be; he is the single most watchable actor of all time.
And this isn't even my favorite John Ford movie! Nevertheless, it's a great film with a great message. Call me a pinko (it's been done before), but what's superb about this movie is its humanism. Yeah, the ideology promotes a type of socialism (ahem, I mean, let's not forget that that is basically what the New Deal was and if you think that system was a bad idea, then fine), but, really, the movie is about caring for people who don't have the resources to care for themselves. Grapes of Wrath is not a scathing indictment of anyone; it's a simple portrait of a family's struggles to overcome the Depression. It's uplifting and shows a real feeling for the downtrodden, and that's more than you can say about most American films that intend to deal with the poor and hungry.