Fonda and other cast wow with depictions of hardships of the Dust Bowl

Rating: 9/10 (28 March 2013)

The film Grapes of Wrath, based off the book by John Steinbeck, depicts a family who lives in Oklahoma around the time the Dust Bowl starts. As times get worse, the family is forced to move off their farm and head west to California to find work that is rumored to be there. This film was obviously very important because it brought to life the struggles of the Midwestern people during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, which may only ever have been depicted in books or literature in times to date. The film is masterfully made. This film is in black and white but this does not take away from the experience, it actually adds to the theme by using dark shadings to symbolize the struggles and poverty and desperation. The actors do their part well, and make the audience connect with and feel the struggles they went through at the time. Many people know about the history and hardships of the people who lived in the big cities and were directly affected by the stock market crash, but what is less known, is the plight of the farmers who were wiped off their land by the severe drought that also took place during the Depression era. This movie does justice in bringing to life the struggles thousands of people faced. Through all the endeavors, one major quote from the movie sums up the feelings of many Americans at the time.
"We'll go on forever because we're the people." The strong and hard-willed matriarch of the family speaks this quote. She is the backbone of the family and she takes care of them the best that she can. She is also very wise and is interested only in the welfare of her family and keeping her family together. In this movie, one of the major life lessons that are spoken to the audience is to always keep moving forward and to never give up. I really love this quote. This was a quote that I already try to live by in my life, and seeing the quote played out in real life is fascinating. Even though this is a movie that was "Hollywoodnized," the struggles that these people went through were real. In real life when the people persevered and never gave up things eventually started to look up. This is a quote every American, especially younger audiences, should try to live by, and this is a movie that is exceptionally well done.