A drama about the expulsion of peasants from their tenant farm

Rating: 8/10 (5 January 2011)

The Grapes of Wrath is an exceptional film, both in substance and as an artistic accomplishment. Since I did not read the book, my review is written without any prejudice. In the film we follow an extended family of small peasants, the Joads, who are expelled from their tenant farm. At first the story may seem a typical part of American history, which is of course true. For instance the illustrious folk singer Woody Guthrie had his roots in the Oklahoma dust bowl, and the eventual migration to California. I was truly fascinated by his biographic DVD "This machine kills fascists". But in fact the expulsion of small peasants is a universal theme. Already in the fifteenth century it started with the English enclosure movement. In the nineteenth century it was a recurring phenomenon in all parts of Europe. For instance, in 1903 the Flemish author Cyriel Buysse wrote a play about it ("Het gezin van Paemel"), and created one of the predecessors of Steinbeck's novel. Later a Flemish film version has been produced, which is highly recommendable. And then in the Bolshewist countries there was the forced transformation into collective farming. Although the Czechoslovak and Polish regimes shrunk from this move, which gives food for reflection. The making public of the American version through a book and subsequently a film was a courageous endeavor, since social critique is rarely welcomed (it could probably only be done because of the friendly New Deal atmosphere). Paricularly striking is the scene, where a farmer tries to prevent the demolition of his farm by threatening with a rifle. He asks the usher: "Against who should I defend myself?" The land owner? No, it is only an enterprise. The director of the enterprise? No, he just does what he is told to do. The bank? No, it simply reacts to the demand of the market. Of course the usher puts up a sham, because each and every one of these institutions is to blame (evidently in the first place the director, who has made a willful decision to break up the long-lasting business relation). The homeless farmers migrate en bloc to California (!), hoping to make a living as pickers. They live in tent camps, and are murdered by villagers, the thugs of land owners, and even the local police (especially the deputies are accomplices of the wealthy land owners). The main character is the peasants son Tom Joad (impressively portrayed by Henry Fonda). He has just served six years in prison for man slaughter, and is freed on parole. Here we see a glimpse of the family pride. When Tom returns home to Oklahoma, his family assumes: "Did you escape?" Especially grandfather is delighted: "I told you so! They can't lock up a Joad!" He and many others hold that they have a right to the Oklahoma land, because many of them died there: "It is our dust". All peasant communities share this same common isolation, caused by an apparent independence and self-provision (my grandparents were also farmers). This tends to make them inflexible. Grandpa and Grandma die during the ride to California. This does not come as a surprise, and therefore the Stalin-like director of the land owning company does not go free here. Characteristic of the small and collective peasant world is the mother of the family, who complains that she sees her family falling apart. Again Tom kills a man, this time not in self-defense. Frankly, I don't understand this aspect of the narrative. On the one side, Tom is no more a criminal than the policeman, who for no reason fires with his gun in a crowded camp of migrants and seriously wounds an innocent woman. On the other hand, it impedes the feelings of empathy and identification of the viewer/reader, and images the Joads as culpable wrong-doers. As a matter of fact, it can be argued that the Joad family (just like the Paemels) have neglected the change of time,and the agricultural revolution. This is a central point. Too often the changing policy of the society elite is far-reaching to such an extent, that the common people get no fair chance to adapt. And this can truly be called a crime. In conclusion: The Grapes of Wrath is recommended (which it doesn't need). If you like social films, see Het gezin van Paemel. Or consider reading my other reviews.