The Grapes of Wrath

A time in our country's life when everyone worked to live a life worth living! Now we are so self entitled that I think we place our own damned selves above a country who has given us everything ! May God have mercy on our souls!

Review for ART 1145 American Cinema - The Grapes of Wrath ⚠️ SPOILER WARNING ⚠️ The Grapes of Wrath, directed by John Ford and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and Nunnally Johnson, is a film based on a novel with the same name, written by John Steinbeck. The audience follows the story of Tod Joad (played by Henry Fonda), Ma Joad (played by Jane Darwell), Jim Casey (played by John Carradine), and other actors playing the rest of the Joad family. Tom Joad is on his way to his family farm in Oklahoma after serving four years in prison for killing a man. While on his journey back home he meets Jim Casey, a former preacher who baptized him when he was younger has lost his faith. They decide to go to his family farm together, only to find it abandoned, realizing his family has been evicted. After reuniting with his family at his uncle's farm, the whole family decides to migrate to California, in hopes to find work and a better life. The trip is dreadful, as the whole family (including Casey) experiences poverty, prejudice, and death as Grandpa and Grandma die before they even reach California. As they finally arrive in California, although they still experience some issues, things seem to be looking up for the Joad family (and Casey). However, Tom gets into some serious trouble, leading to him being on the run, leaving his family behind. There’s a slight moment of hope, as Ma Joad talks about their future. During a time where the United States is slowly starting to recover from the Great Depression and is still at the beginning of the Golden Age of Hollywood, this movie was produced very well. The audio is clear, the visuals are also great, despite it being a low-budget production. Watching this movie was one of the most bittersweet film experiences I’ve had, with a big emphasis on bitterness. Watching this film to follow the historically melancholic story of the Joad and going back and forth from hope and despair is not the happiest journey. However, I would recommend this movie! It’s a very important film that shows the trials and tribulations of what many Americans had to go through during the Great Depression and the strive and hope they had to have a better life for themselves and their families.

First watched this movie as a child. I have loved it ever since. 1 of my top 5 favorite movies. Every time it's on the TV, I watch it, trying to get my sons to watch it.