A Must-See Film For So Many Reasons - And One of The Very Best

Rating: 10/10 (28 December 2013)

If this isn't the finest and most moving depiction of the human tragedies that occurred during the Dust Bowl era, I don't know what is. Yet it is much more than that - it is simply one of the finest movies ever made. Better acting you will never see - and while it's arguably (a very young) Henry Fonda's very best film, Jane Darwell puts in a performance you will never forget (and you won't soon forget her final line - one of the most historic, moving and memorable final lines in all of movie history). You can't get a better story than one written by John Steinbeck, of course, and the stark cinematography blazes new territory and remains fresh to this day. Even the "lesser" character actors shine brightly here. Who will forget John Qualen's performance as Muley or John Carradine's performance as Casey? ...And that's just scratching the surface. Who doesn't fall in love with and care about the main characters, as they desperately try to survive the rigors of the Depression (and whom among us could withstand the horrors they went through)? This is a real story - one that every American needs to know; there is no exaggeration here. The inhumanity heaped upon the most defenseless during the Depression - as brought out in this film - is something few movies have brought out. This is the quintessential Dust Bowl and Depression film. The realism is incredible. The music helps move you to tears, too. The heroism so many of the characters display is not just moving - it speaks of a time when more people were truly noble. What a cast! What a story! What a film!