The Grapes of Wrath

8.75

Rating: 8.75 | Votes: 8

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Grapes of Wrath
Great American film making by John Ford. All teenagers should be made to watch this movie to appreciate what tough times really are. Henry Fonda as Tom Joad is just great acting.

gritty, powerful and poignant
Although The Grapes of Wrath is certainly not the longest picture I've ever seen, the exceptionally fine acting combined with its emotional impact and careful attention to detail gives the film a truly epic quality. The acting is easily some of the best I've ever seen--at the very end there was a lump in my throat; I was extremely moved and I won't forget this film anytime soon! The script could not have been better; the cinematography shines and the choreography is superb. The plot moves along nicely and covers quite a bit of action despite the fact that things never seem rushed. Of course, the film can't quite match all the detail of John Steinbeck's 450+ page book; but the way the filmmakers did this, including director John Ford, it is profoundly memorable.

When the picture begins, we quickly meet Tom Joad (Henry Fonda), who returns to his Oklahoma home after spending four years in prison; and it is through Tom's eyes that we see the shock people felt during the Great Depression when they were driven off the Midwestern land they had harvested for decades. On the one hand, Tom reunites with Casy, a family friend who is now a disillusioned former preacher; but on the other hand the closer he and Casy get to the Joad house the more a nasty, ominous dust storm begins to blow up and when they discover an empty house the not-so-happy tone is set for the rest of the picture. Indeed, their once cherished home is merely a hide-out for a disheveled friend named Muley (John Qualen) who tells Tom that the Joads and other families have been driven off the land by big banks. Sharecropping, the only thing they know how to do to make a living, is no longer profitable. Muley then tells Tom and Casy that Tom's family is at their Uncle John's (Frank Darien) home; and Tom, again with Casy, arrives there for a family reunion. Ma Joad (Jane Darwell in an Oscar winning performance) is thankful that Tom reached them before they left Oklahoma; the family intends to move to California. In California, they believe, there will be good paying jobs picking crops and they want Tom and Casy to come with them.

Of course, many things happen to the Joad family and Casy as the plot progresses; and I won't write too much about this in order not to spoil it for you. Suffice it to say that the movie was brilliantly executed and the attention to detail remains extremely impressive, to say the least. The plot and the action are extremely realistic as well.

The DVD comes with terrific bonus features. On one side of the DVD disc there is a commentary by film scholar Joseph McBride and Susan Shillinglaw (a John Steinbeck scholar). There is also a prologue that was shown to British audiences so that they would have a basic understanding of the issues in this film before they viewed it. On the other side of the DVD disc, we get a featurette biography of Darryl F. Zanuck, a restoration comparison--and even more!

The Grapes of Wrath is so well done and packs such a punch that it should be required viewing for anybody when they're old enough to understand the issues explored and depicted in this film. The film accurately depicts the harsh severities of life for so many people at that time in our country's history; and that's for the best. It's educational, too! I highly recommend this for fans of the actors in this movie; and anyone who appreciates quality, classic motion pictures will not be disappointed.

One of the all-time great films at a great price
I have long been a fan of this film and I was highly pleased at being able to get it on DVD at a very reasonable price! And the quality of the DVD was perfect.

The Grapes of Wrath Review
Classic Henry Fonda movie set back in the depression and what families went through, must see for entire family.

An undisputed masterpiece leaves me with an odd feeling...
Giving this film an `A' and calling it a masterpiece is really a given, so I'm just going to get that part of it out of the way. The film is a beautiful and moving epic, complete with stellar performances, poignant life lessons and dramatic (and authentic) presence of life and destiny. To consider this John Ford's triumph is not too farfetched if I say so myself.

That said, this film rests oddly with me.

For me, `The Grapes of Wrath' is John Ford's `Schindler's List' (or, I guess I should say that `Schindler's List' is Spielberg's `The Grapes of Wrath'). It is a moving and very `important' film that doesn't strike me the way I expected due to a coldness that permeates the screen. The film is filled with elements and situations that would bring a stone-faced man to his knees, and yet I was more haunted than I was moved. There is a detachment I felt here that, like `Schindler', works just as much as it doesn't.

Like I said in my review of `Schindler's List', it may be an empty argument, but it is one worth raising.

This film is based off the novel by Steinbeck, which I haven't read but have on my reading list. I know that this film, while faithful, has altered the source material a tad (especially in the ending) but so few complaints have been thrown that way, even from devoted fans of the novel. The film was made at a time when a `happy ending' or at least the portrayal of hope was needed. A film depicting the raw and harsh realities of the depression needed to end on a high note if it was going to lift any spirits. Even with the altered ending though, `The Grapes of Wrath' is a real downer, a film that exposes humanity at its coldest and cruelest (although I was moved more by the slivers of kindness).

The story is that of the Joad family, a group of hard working, loving people who are forced out of their homes and sent looking for work. Tom, the eldest son, was recently released from prison, and he serves as the head of the house basically, helping his parents and siblings make their long journey to California. Along the way they meet greed and desperation in many forms.

The acting is a triumph here on all ends. Henry Fonda carries a solemn understanding in his eyes as he watches everything around him crumble, and he really carries every scene of this film. John Carradine is also fantastic as Casy, the former preacher who has lost his spirit due to the circumstances that engulf him. Standout here is Jane Darwell, who actually won the Oscar for her tremendous performance. Her pleading with Tom to stay and help her, oh, that moment touched me more than any other moment in the film.

`The Grapes of Wrath' is a film that is filled with frustration and depression, but as the final frames begin to roll we are offered a sliver of hope, as Ma Joad swells our hearts with her ideals on humanity and the will to survive.

Still...

Like I said, there is a detachment here. It is a great movie, one that gets everything perfect, and, like `Schindler', that is the big problem. Everything is `too' perfect. I know that it seems like a weak complaint (and if this goes anything like my `Schindler's List' review, it won't be a popular one either) but it is a legit one if you look at it properly. Everything is so `authentic' that it runs the gamut of stiff and feels nearly documented. It takes away from the languid naturalness of the nature of film. Like I said, debating the films brilliance is ridiculous, but for a film that is primed and ready to move you, this one may not do it one the immediate.

This makes sense to me, but then again, it's me!

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