The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

Undescribable Perfection

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

In rural Oklahoma, Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) is walking and hitchhiking home from prison, after a stay of four years. After taking a knife at a dance, Tom hit the attacker with a pan, killing him. Nevermind that it was self-defense, Tom still gets sent to prison. He hasn't heard from his parents, Ma (Jane Darwell) or Pa because they aren't the "writing types". A fierce dust storm makes Tom's final few steps treacherous. Arriving back at their small cabin, where his family are sharecroppers, Tom and his passing friend, Casy (John Carradine) are startled to find no one at home. A shell-shocked neighbor informs the other two that the family has been kicked off their land in foreclosure. They are nearby at Uncle John's house, where his family is about to suffer the same fate. Its the Depression and the Dust Bowl has ruined the land, taking off the top soil; no one can grow crops. When Tom catches up with his Ma and company, they are overjoyed to see him, for their plans are to pack a truck and move to California, where handbills show pickers are needed. Grandpa doesn't want to leave the only home he has ever known, so they drug him with medicine and haul him along. Now on the Mother Road, route 66, the journey is difficult; the truck breaks down frequently, no one wants them to stay long anywhere they rest, and Grandpa dies of a stroke. Will California really be the Golden, Promised Land? NOT ON YOUR LIFE! This heartbreaking adaptation of Steinbeck's classic is a must-see for the whole wide world. This family of hard-working folks has one calamity after another, just trying to earn an honest and living wage. Those who lived in the Dust Bowl part of the country were hit especially hard, as the soil had been overworked and winds took the topsoil off, creating damaging storms to crops, humans, and animals. No better were the "lies" of the handbills, advertisements that migrants were needed in California, where over 300,000 poor helpless folks showed up for very few jobs. The cast, with Fonda at the helm, is wonderful as is the scenery, costumes, and careful direction to show the truth of a desperate situation. Wanna get down on your knees and thank the Lord for what you have, Americans? You will when you view this amazing film!

This is a beautiful looking film with lots of wonderful acting performances! It's one of the rare times that a classic book has been turned into a classic movie, in my opinion! John Ford really captures the essence of the novel, even if some big parts are left out. And when Henry Fonda delivers that "I'll be there" speech near the end, well that's just cinema gold! It's not better than the book, but it sure can stand proud!

The amazing director John Ford won Oscar for this movie. All his films are beautifully and carefully made masterpieces.This movie is about a man called Tom Joad. He is back from the prison expecting to rejoin his family. But, as he reaches the village, it was totally washed out. He finds out where his family is. But, they were getting ready to migrate from there too. He joins them. The whole family including pregnant woman, old people and kids are on the movie. Wherever they go, they had to keep moving due to one reason or the other.A heart touching movie. Very well made.A must watch. Highly recommended.#KiduMovie

Nunnally Johnson's adaptation of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath added a visual imagery and a more upbeat ending to the more grim and downbeat novel.When Bruce Springsteen released the album The Ghost of Tom Joad the inspiration was the cinematic view of the movie and not the book.Henry Fonda is Tom Joad released from prison and discovers that his family have lost their farm along with all the others. The farmers have been hit by the dust bowl and the Joad family pack their old jalopy and head from Oklahoma for California for a better life thinking their is plentiful work as crop pickers. In an arduous journey they see the America of the Depression era 1930s, whole families displaced and getting exploited by landowners exploiting cheap labour and the police protecting them and violently breaking up any dissent by the labourers.The subject matter is certainly forbidding for the time and raw. The references to socialism were toned down by director John Ford but he certainly tackled the exploitation of migrant workers. This is a story of a family trying to stay together against the odds.Henry Fonda gives a sterling performance as Tom Joad a man who realises that he is destined to fight for social justice after his experiences on the road. He is supported by Jane Darwell as Ma Joad, the glue which keeps the family together in the dark days and John Carradine the fallen preacher Jim Casy, a man who lost his faith but as he headed out along Route 66 with the Joads he discovered socialism.