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#23—The Grapes of Wrath

Movies are always good for entertainment, but sometimes movies can be a portal into another place and time. This snapshot gives audiences around the world a glimpse into what it must have been like to fight in World War II or what life must have been like in Massachusetts around 1692. #23 on the American Film Institute Top 100 shows us what it was like for families in the Midwest during the 1930’s when the Great Depression and Dust Bowls hit our great nation. Based on John Steinbeck’s most potent novel, 23 on the list is The Grapes of Wrath.

Having been just recently released from prison, Tom Joad (Henry Fonda Mister Roberts) has hitchhiked his way back to his family’s farm in rural Oklahoma. To Tom’s dismay, he has learned that his family has moved into his uncle’s neighboring farm due to the government foreclosing on their farm. Tom is just in time however because his family has decided, like thousands of other families, to migrate west to California to find work. The film follows the Joad family journey from Oklahoma to California and the trails they go through to reach their destination.

This is a very powerful film filled with human perseverance and family togetherness. I was very moved by the performances of Fonda and his costars. Though I have found the film a little more uplifting than Steinbeck’s novel, I still believe that this is one of the most pivotal films of the Great Depression. Like the novel itself, Wrath gives us a look into what a lot of Americans, during the 1930s, wanted so desperately wanted to ignore.

In his most recognizable role, Fonda lights up the screen in a film full of despair. Fonda encompasses the never-back-down attitude of Tom with such reverence.  Fonda also brings out Tom’s love and respect for his family. Fonda’s Tom is just one of those guys you would want on your side in a fight. My admiration goes to Jane Darwell (Gone with the Wind) who plays Ma Joad. The matriarch of the Joad family sweeps through this movie with such beauty. Darwell establishes herself so quickly as the head of this family by love and respect that she reminded me so much of my own mother. Winning the 1940 Oscar for Acting wasn’t surprising to me since Darwell almost runs away with this film due to how great she is.

The Grapes of Wrath was a bit of a different type of film for director John Ford (The Searchers). This is mainly due to the political connotations the book include and of course Ford is famous for his epic westerns. Ironic to me is that I couldn’t picture anyone else directing this movie anyway. Ford has a way of capturing the innuendos hidden within the material and exploiting them in a subtle way. Ford is also brilliant at exposing the struggles that this family and all of the other families encounter during the film. Ford shows audiences an unadulterated view of despairing families clamoring for work or most importantly food.

I feel that The Grapes of Wrath is one of the most influential films of the Golden Age of Hollywood and the 20^th century. John Ford and Henry Fonda shine light on a subject deemed too sensitive for people to talk about in the 1930s and even the 1940s. Fonda gives a powerful performance as Tom and Jane Darwell proves women were just as excellent during 1940s Hollywood. To me this is a must at least once in your life.

The Verdict: Worth Your Time.