The Grapes of Wrath
Tags: dramatic, depressing, murder

Plot synopsis:
The narrative begins just after Tom Joad is paroled from McAlester prison, where he had been imprisoned after being convicted of homicide. On his return to his home near Sallisaw, Oklahoma, Tom meets former preacher Jim Casy, whom he remembers from his childhood, and the two travel together. When they arrive at Tom's childhood farm home, they find it deserted. Disconcerted and confused, Tom and Casy meet their old neighbor, Muley Graves, who tells them the family has gone to stay at Uncle John Joad's home nearby. Graves tells them that the banks have evicted all the farmers, but he refuses to leave the area.
The next morning, Tom and Casy go to Uncle John's. Tom finds his family loading their remaining possessions into a Hudson Motor Car Company saloon converted to a truck; with their crops destroyed by the Dust Bowl, the family has defaulted on their bank loans, and their farm has been repossessed. Consequently, the Joads have no option but to seek work in California, described in handbills as fruitful and offering high pay.
The Joads put everything they have into making the journey. Although leaving Oklahoma would violate his parole, Tom decides it is worth the risk, and invites Casy to join him and his family.
Traveling west on Route 66, the Joad family find the road crowded with other migrants. In makeshift camps, they hear many stories from others, some returning from California, and the group worries about lessening prospects. The family unit dwindles, too: Granpa dies along the road, and they bury him in a field; Granma dies close to the California state line; and both Noah (the eldest Joad son) and Connie Rivers (the husband of the pregnant Joad daughter, Rose of Sharon) split from the family. Led by Ma, the remaining members realize they can only continue, as nothing is left for them in Oklahoma.
Reaching California, they find the state oversupplied with labor, so wages are low, and workers are exploited to the point of starvation. The big corporate farmers are in collusion, and smaller farmers suffer from collapsing prices. Weedpatch Camp, one of the clean, utility-supplied camps operated by the Resettlement Administration, a New Deal agency, offers better conditions, but does not have enough resources to care for all the needy families. Nonetheless, as a Federal facility, the camp protects the migrants from harassment by California deputies.
In response to the exploitation, Casy becomes a labor organizer and tries to recruit for a labor union. The remaining Joads work as strikebreakers in a peach orchard, where Casy is involved in a strike that eventually turns violent. When Tom Joad witnesses Casy's fatal beating, he kills the attacker and flees as a fugitive. The Joads later leave the orchard for a cotton farm, where Tom is at risk of being arrested for the homicide.
Tom bids his mother farewell and promises to work for the oppressed. Rose of Sharon's baby is stillborn. Ma Joad remains steadfast and forces the family through the bereavement. With rain, the Joads' dwelling is flooded, and they move to higher ground. In the final chapter of the book, the family takes shelter from the flood in an old barn. Inside, they find a young boy and his father, who is dying of starvation. Rose of Sharon takes pity on the man and offers him her breast, to save him from starvation.

Review: You can guess what they would look like when mom and dad got home, their was no air condition back then so they would take a hose and squirt water on the tin Quonset hut to try and cool it off some, I know when we went west we looked like those grapes of wrath folks in the movie.That area was the first time I ever saw a frog walk, it was to hot for them to hop, when they tried to hop their bellies would touch the ground ( gravel) and would burn them, any way that's what we thought at that time.
Henry Fonda plays the part of Tom Joad, a young member of the family who is released from prison at the beginning of the film, only to find that his family has been driven from their home and is staying at his uncle's house until they can figure out what to do about their sudden homelessness.
The Grapes of Wrath is not exactly an edge of your seat film, but it is a shockingly realistic portrayal of the suffering that so many people and families experienced during the Great Depression.
It's no secret that most people do not watch movies to learn, but there comes a point, at least once in a great while, when a person should watch a film that requires a little mental thought processing, and in such cases, The Grapes of Wrath is an excellent choice..
But once you get beyond a comparison of the movie to the book, you begin to realize that John Ford created a beautiful piece of work of his own, and the film inspires a great deal of admiration, and deserves credit for its gutsiness at tackling a story that wouldn't have gone down smoothly with film executives at the time.Of course the most controversial parts of the book are left out (like its final image, for example), but Ford still managed to work around the constraints forced upon him to fashion a hard-biting film.
Henry Fonda's portrayal of Tom Joad captures perfectly the humanity and compassion of the Steinbeck character, an ex-con who breaks his parole conditions by joining his family in their epic journey across the southern US to a "better life" in California.This is not the usual Hollywood fare.
Fonda's role is particularly understated, and we see, as in Steinbeck's masterly epic, the maternally robust figure of Ma holding the family together.The performances all round are wonderful, and Ford's direction and sense of space under the big sky of the Midwest is breathtaking.This film is now largely a testament to the time in which it was set, but like the war movies that were soon to follow, a story that needed telling lest we forget..
The difficulties and social problems that those migrants had to endure in this sad chapter of history became the inspiration for John Steinbeck's novel, "The Grapes of Wrath", a book that quickly became a classic due to its powerful depiction of the era.
Soon after it's release, plans for a film adaptation began to be made, and the man who would bring the novel to the screen would be none other than John Ford.In "The Grapes of Wrath", Henry Fonda plays Tom Joad, a young man recently paroled from prison who is traveling to his family home in Oklahoma.
However, things won't be as easy as they thought they would.Adapted to the screen by Nunnally Johnson, "The Grapes of Wrath" takes on the spirit of John Steinbeck's novel and delivers a harsh, crude and very realistic portrayal of poverty during the Dust Bowl.
It is the excellent development of the main characters what gives that very human touch to the story, as it really shows a real understanding not only of Steinbeck's novel, but also of the real social situations that inspired the book.In 1939, John Ford was in one of the best periods of his career, having directed "Stagecoach", "Young Mr. Lincoln" and "Drums Along the Mohawk" in less than 12 months.
While Ford was better known for his legendary westerns and larger-than-life heroes, "The Grapes of Wrath" was in many levels a very personal movie for him, so he basically took Steinbeck's novel and completely made the story his own.
Framed by Gregg Toland's wonderful cinematography, Ford brings to life the Joads' story in a way that mixes his own style with a focus so realistic that almost feels like a documentary.
Like Carradine, Jane Darwell makes a wonderful job (probably her finest) as Ma Joad, and without a doubt she truly deserved that Academy award she received for her performance.As written above, the movie has several considerable differences with the novel (specially the second half), so fans expecting a complete translation of the book will be a bit disappointed.
While the film has indeed some flaws (most famously the sudden and unexplained disappearance of a minor character), it's hard to diminish its value due to them, as the beauty of its craft is so big that they can be easily dismissed.With a haunting atmosphere, a beautiful visual composition, and superb performances by his actors, Ford created one of the first masterpieces of the 40s and one of the finest American movies ever made.
Despite their differences, John Ford's "The Grapes of Wrath" truly carries the spirit of Steinbeck's novel, as well as the ghost of Tom Joad.
This movie mesmerizes you from the start as the characters are indulged with true humanitarian instincts, you won't feel any thing irrelevant.Henry Fonda is very much compelling in the role of young Todd and Jane Darwell won best supporting actress in magnificent portrayal of Mama Todd.
The film and the novel are both about Tom Joad, (played by Henry Fonda, who collaborated with John Ford several times.) who returns to his family's home in Oklahoma after spending 4 years in prison, but unfortunately by the time Tom Joad makes it out of prison, the country has fallen into the Great Depression.
No instead of going for cheap shallow emotions the way an Oscar-bait movie would, Grapes of Wrath instead has characters that don't even feel like characters that are going through actual struggles, there is no cheap manipulation in this film.
It is 100% genuine.John Ford was a strange person for 20th century fox to pick to direct The Grapes of Wrath, because he was politically conservative and the book/film supported several liberal political ideas like strikes and unions.
They also fit together well and complement one another's performances, which accentuates the themes involved in the struggles of the Joad family.For all that the Steinbeck novel is so revered, and for all that his story is an often compelling depiction of its characters, with whom many in the era could identify, it would have been better if it had not been so heavy-handed.
Yet, among all the cynicism, there are acts of kindness and selflessness that leave you with hope for mankind.Henry Fonda is great as Tom Joad, and deserved his Best Actor Oscar nomination.
Steered by John Ford's assured direction & powered by a couple of stellar performances, it remains one of the most memorable works of its era.Set during the Great Depression, the story of The Grapes of Wrath follows Tom Joad who's out of prison on parole, only to find out that his family has been forced off their own land.
Managing to reunite with them eventually, Tom & the Joad family set off to California in search of better work, opportunities & a hopeful future but face one misfortune after another, each testing their strength.Directed by John Ford, the film doesn't even try to sugarcoat any of its events and brings back the gruesome memory of living through the Great Depression for its viewers.
But what holds it together is the outstanding inputs from Henry Fonda & Jane Darwell, especially the latter who delivers a powerful performance that only gets better as story progresses.On an overall scale, The Grapes of Wrath is tragic, heartbreaking & harrowing but, despite its bleak appearance, it isn't entirely devoid of hope & optimism.
On board in this road movie of the existential kind are Henry Fonda as an ex-convict, John Carradine as a disillusioned preacher and the Oscar winning Jane Darwell as Ma Joad, all first-rate acting with strong support of an array of bit players who help the crude reality take shape.
The Grapes Of Wrath is an interesting, beautifully-filmed, powerful movie, but a story so marred by obvious liberal bias that it takes away from the presentation.GOOD NEWS: With the fabulous black-and-white contrasts here, I wish John Ford had directed a bunch of film noirs because this sure has the feel of one.
What truly lies at the center of this classic American film is not a socialistic message but rather a universal message; one that says that all people suffer in one way or another and it is the defiance and resistance that separates us from anyone else and our ability to choose not to take this lying down.The story is well-known: the Joad family is forced off their Oklahoma farm along with thousands of other Dust Bowl victims and decide to move to California in search of jobs and wages.
Every other role is well-cast and adds a rich realistic tone to this movie that only makes you feel even more for these people who are just trying to get by each day, hoping for some sort of break or providence as a sign.I can see how this was such a politically-charged story but I don't think Ford intended that to be the priority of the film.
The film like the book is set during the era of the Great Depression in the 1930s and follows the Joad family from Oklahoma as they deal with poverty on their way to the 'promised land' of California after being thrown out of their own land and property.The themes of the film revolve around the concept of the loss of home.
There are moments of great artistic imagery, eg: the 3 shadows trampled by the tractor marks, Gregg Toland's brilliant cinematography under Ford's direction involving shadows specially in the scene where Tom and Casy meet Muley, the brilliant shot where the Joad family leaves on their truck bidding adieu to their home and Ford decides to hold the shot a few seconds longer after they have left to show the wind, dust and garbage blowing towards the house,etc.
The Grapes of Wrath (1940) is a Drama History film in black and white starring Henry Fonda as Tom Joad.
Arguably Director John Ford's Greatest Film, although some might say "The Searchers" (1956) or "My Darling Clementine" (1946).But there is No Doubt that this Film Resonates and Captivates with its Story of the Depression's Devastating Effect on a "Salt of the Earth" Sharecropper Family with Multi-Generational Roots Planted in the Now Fallow "Dust Bowl".Along with the Personal Hardships the Movie makes much of the Social Separation and Income Inequality of the Time.There are the Compassion-Less Bankers and Their Minions of Law Enforcement and "Tin Badge" Thugs.
The Skeletal Structure of the Movie, from John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize Winning Novel, is the Joad Family.Impeccably Acted by Henry Fonda (Tom Joad), Ma (Jane Darwell), and X-Preacher Casey (John Carradine), with Support from Charlie Grapewin (Grandpa), and John Qualen (Muley).
Fonda plays Tom Joad, a man on parole who returns home and discovers that his family has been driven off their land and now must leave Oklahoma and head to the promise of work out in California.
The "Grapes of Wrath" film is a somewhat simplified version of Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize winning book about an Oklahoma tenant farmer family in the Dust Bowl days.
Henry Fonda's role as Tom Joad earned his stardom; Jane Darwell (as Ma Joad) won a deserved Oscar for best supporting actress as did John Ford for directing.Steinbeck was very critical of an economic system that allowed such mistreatment of sharecroppers and tenant farmers by wealthy land owners, bankers, etc., (supported by local officials wherever the owners/bankers resided).
Until they were kicked out.While the motivations (land owners' greed, farm families' struggles to survive in extreme circumstances) and conflicts were very similar to what the Okies experienced, the resolution of this Bootheel crisis became far more uplifting and inspiring than the struggles without victors presented in the "Grapes of Wrath." But almost certainly, the popularity of this book and movie helped lead to such a different outcome in the Bootheel only a few years later.This video describes the Bootheel situation: http://www1.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=148227By Googling "Sharecroppers Strike" and "Cotton Patch Moses" you'll find a number of links that describe this Bootheel crisis, its conflicts, significant people, and outcomes..
This powerful film starring Henry Fonda and directed by John Ford chronicles the Joads, a family from Oklahoma, driven from their home by greedy bankers and corporations after their livelihood was ruined by the dust storms of the mid 30s.
John Steinbeck's 1939 novel "The Grapes of Wrath" is widely considered one of the greatest American novels, and this film is often considered one of the finest films from one of the greatest American directors, John Ford.Following the plight of the Joad family as they leave their home in Oklahoma during the Great Depression and join the westward pilgrimage of so many itinerant workers to California in search of work.Henry Fonda turns in a flawless performance as Tom Joad and the film is beautifully photographed and directed, but what really sets it apart is the genuine heart that the film has in depicting the struggle of the Joads as they try to maintain their dignity in an unforgiving world.This film is truly timeless in that many people today are still living in similar conditions..
Sallisaw today honors the movie and the book by having a Grapes of Wrath Festival each year.Henry Fonda in a role of a lifetime--and he knew it--turns in his best performance.
In one of the great film portrayals of all time, Tom Joad, Fonda is able to capture the essence of this set upon human being who is trying to survive in a world he never made.
Zanuck, one of the industry's greatest producers, adapted for the screen by Nunally Johnson (Jesse James), photographed by Gregg Toland (Citizen Kane); staring one of the screen's greatest actors, Henry Fonda, backed by a remarkable cast of character actors including Jane Darwell and John Carradine, and helmed by a candidate for the honor of Hollywood's greatest director, John Ford, this film was assembled like a fine Swiss watch, which is probably why it continues to tick today, well over half a century later.Ford was at the top of his game when he undertook the project and its brimming with his unmatched visuals, thanks to the camera-work of Gregg Toland.
Ford proves in "Grapes of Wrath" that you can tell a compelling story without a word being spoken.But like all great movies, from Murnau's "Sunrise" to Coppola's "Godfather," this film is about a lot more than pretty pictures.
The screen may have never produced a better piece of dialog."The Grapes of Wrath" continues to stand today as a landmark of American movie making and a film well worth the time of anyone who wants to try to understand what for much of mankind remains the most important struggle --the struggle for survival...
Henry Fonda is Tom Joad in 'The Grapes of Wrath', named one of the best American films ever.
John Steinbeck's classic American novel about the Great Depression and Dust Bowl dilemmas of the migrant farmer/"Okie" is masterfully adapted by director John Ford (Best Director) who follows the Joad family trek from their ousted Oklahoma to the Promised Land of California.
It is hard not to feel like one of the Joads through their trials.For those who enjoyed Henry Fonda in this movie would probably also enjoy his performance in "Twelve Angry Men," which is a great film in and of itself..
Based on John Steinbeck's Pulitzer prize winning novel of the same name, about the mid-west proletariat struggle during the great depression of the 1930's, John Ford's adaptation to film is a sweeping and emotional drama, displaying the problems entailed when a family are forced to move west in the search for work.
In filming the book in 1940 producer Darryl F Zanuck and director John Ford pulled no punches; even seventy years on this extraordinary film still has the power to shock as American moves ever closer to the possibility of recession: it is just as relevant today as it ever was.It's about the Great Depression, essentially about the Oakies forced off their land, initially by nature itself, thereafter by the banks which took over their share-holdings, and about their migration to California.
It is based on the novel by John Steinbeck (who also wrote "Of Mice and Men" and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962), "The Grapes of Wrath" was nominated for the Best Picture of 1940 by the American Motion Picture Academy (Hitchcock's "Rebecca" won).Henry Fonda gives the performance of a lifetime as a young man who has returned from jail to discover that his family's spirit has been crushed from their loss of land and home.
It's the 1930's, time of the Great Depression.Tom Joad returns back home to Oklahoma, after doing time in prison.But he finds out he has no home.He finds his family, who tell them what has happened.They have lost their farm, and they are heading to California in search of the better life.The Grapes of Wrath (1940) is directed by John Ford, who got an Oscar from his work.The producers are Darryl F.
Excellent cinematography and great actors like Henry Fonda and John Carradine set this movie apart and make the audience really feel for the Joads.