The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Nunnally Johnson (screenplay)
John Steinbeck (novel)

Release Date:

15 March 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The thousands who have read the book will know why WE WILL NOT SELL ANY CHILDREN TICKETS to see this picture!

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.

Plot Keywords:

California | Farm | Jail | Oklahoma | Great Depression

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Dec. 1

12:00 AM

TCM

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Highway 66 (USA) (fake working title)

Runtime:

128 min | West Germany:108 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | UK:PG (video rating) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | 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

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Lois Smith was nominated for the 1990 Tony Award (New York City) for Supporting or Features Actress in a Drama for "The Grapes of Wrath".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the Joads set out from the gas station to cross the desert, you see them pull away from the station twice.

Quotes:

Ma Joad: There, gramma! There's California.
Grandma Joad: Phbbtt!

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: America's Greatest Movies (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Going Down the Road Feeling Bad

A Triumph in Record Time

They say that you should wait 20 or 30 years before attempting to capture an historical event on film. That is why it was remarkable that Oliver Stone was able to capture the "feel" of Viet Nam (in "Platoon") so soon (13 years) after America's withdrawal. Usually, an honest perspective takes more time to develop.

But, when you consider that John Steinbeck and John Ford needed less than ten years to bring the 1932 "dust bowl" to life, you really have to admire their magnificent achievement.

Of course, in 1940, Ford could not film much of the graphic squalor described in the novel. For example, the film cannot show a starving hobo suckling at the breast of a young Rose of Sharon, who has milk to spare following the death of her baby. But, far from degradation, Rose of Sharon's gesture is a reflection of the goodness that resides within her, and that quality is well illustrated in the character development seen on the screen. Tom Joad may be an ex-con, but he is a good man.

One of the commentaries (below) uses this film to rant about the exploitation in today's society. That completely misses the point. Ford, who was as conservative as anyone in Hollywood, even more conservative than John Wayne, used this movie to show that Man can triumph, despite the natural and human barriers that are put in his way.

This is ultimately a movie about hope and the human spirit.