IMDb > The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
The Grapes of Wrath
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The Grapes of Wrath (1940) More at IMDbPro »

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The Grapes of Wrath (1940) -- A poor Midwest family is forced off of their land. They travel to California, suffering the misfortunes of the homeless in the Great Depression.
The Grapes of Wrath (1940) -- MyMovieScripts.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 45% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Nunnally Johnson (screenplay)
John Steinbeck (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Grapes of Wrath on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
15 March 1940 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
The thousands who have read the book will know why WE WILL NOT SELL ANY CHILDREN TICKETS to see this picture! more
Plot:
A poor Midwest family is forced off of their land. They travel to California, suffering the misfortunes of the homeless in the Great Depression. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 5 nominations more
User Comments:
A marvellous production of Steinbeck's epic. more (131 total)
US TV Schedule:

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Henry Fonda ... Tom Joad
Jane Darwell ... Ma Joad
John Carradine ... Casy
Charley Grapewin ... Grandpa
Dorris Bowdon ... Rose of Sharon
Russell Simpson ... Pa Joad
O.Z. Whitehead ... Al
John Qualen ... Muley
Eddie Quillan ... Connie
Zeffie Tilbury ... Grandma
Frank Sully ... Noah
Frank Darien ... Uncle John
Darryl Hickman ... Winfield
Shirley Mills ... Ruth Joad
Roger Imhof ... Thomas
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Highway 66 (USA) (fake working title)
more
Runtime:
128 min | West Germany:108 min (cut version)
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:
UK:A (original rating) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | UK:PG (video rating) | West Germany:12 (f) | South Korea:12 | Soviet Union:(Banned) | Argentina:13 | USA:Approved (certificate #5789) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Brazil:12 | Australia:G (original rating) | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Finland:K-16 | Portugal:M/12 (re-release) | Sweden:15

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The Broadway production based on the book/movie "The Grapes of Wrath" by Frank Galati (novel by John Steinbeck) opened at the Cort Theater in New York on May 22, 1990, ran for 188 performances and won the 1990 Tony Award for the Best Play. more
Goofs:
Continuity: In the beginning of the movie Grandma Joad is sitting at the table eating with a full set of teeth in her mouth. Later when they stop to buy the bread Pa Joad explains to the waitress that they need to soften the bread for Grandma to eat because she has no teeth. more
Quotes:
[last lines]
Ma Joad: Rich fellas come up an' they die, an' their kids ain't no good an' they die out. But we keep a'comin'. We're the people that live. They can't wipe us out; they can't lick us. We'll go on forever, Pa, 'cause we're the people.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in A Decade Under the Influence (2003) more
Soundtrack:
A Tisket, A Tasket more

FAQ

How does the movie end?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
What happened to Noah?
more
47 out of 58 people found the following comment useful.
A marvellous production of Steinbeck's epic., 5 January 1999
10/10
Author: Neil Dennis (neildennis@hotmail.com) from London, England

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. Tragedy and betrayal beset the Joad family from the outset. But it is nonetheless an uplifting movie. Spirit, compassion and tenderness mark them out. 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.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (131 total)

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What happened to Noah?? justin_chaplin
John McCain and Republicans must hate this movie dwatts09
The Joads' Truck garysheski
The 1991 TV Remake ddamon-1
Just saw it at an old movie theatre Freku
The Grapes of Wrath revisited John_Russell
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