The Grapes of Wrath
This remarkable film version of John Steinbeck's novel was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Actor (Henry Fonda), Film Editing, Sound and Writing. John Ford won the Best Director Oscar and Jane Darwell won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Ma Joad, the matriarch of the struggling migrant farmer family.
Following a prison term he served for manslaughter, Tom Joad returns to find his family homestead overwhelmed by weather and the greed of the banking industry. With little work potential on the horizon of the Oklahoma dust bowls, the entire family packs up and heads for the promised land - California. but the arduous trip and harsh living conditions they encounter offer little hope, and family unity proves as daunting a challenge as any other they face.
Member Reviews
The Grapes of Wrath - TheWiz
Putting a powerful novel to film such as this one is a daunting task. But this is an excellent adaptation and this film version continues to stand the test of time. Hard times are bound to happen and usually comes on unexpected. This is a tale of such an occurence. Jane Darwell is not only the glue of this family in transition but is also the glue in this version. While there are adult situations, I found this film a great education for my girls, 11 and 14. A great reason to be thankful for what we have and to follow your dreams. A must see.I smell spare ribs. - CaptainRhodes
Somebody's been eatin' spare ribs. How come I ain't got none?
The Grapes of Wrath is a great film. Obviously not for the MTV generation but them kids know nothing anyhow. Now where is them Spare ribs?
USELESS FACTS:
The novel's original ending was far too controversial to be even considered for a film in 1940. It involved Rose-of-Sharon Rivers (Dorris Bowdon) giving birth to a stillborn baby and then offering her milk-filled breasts to a starving man, dying in a barn.
John Steinbeck loved the movie and said that Henry Fonda as Tom Joad made him "believe my own words".
John Ford banned all makeup and perfume from the set on the grounds that it was not in keeping with the tone of the picture.
Prior to filming, producer Darryl F. Zanuck sent undercover investigators out to the migrant camps to see if John Steinbeck had been exaggerating about the squalor and unfair treatment meted out there. He was horrified to discover that, if anything, Steinbeck had actually downplayed what went on in the camps.Strong Film, Weak Adaptation - Plastic_Penguin
I won't talk about all of the movie's strengths since other reviews already have done that very well. Let's talk about what didn't work in this adaptation, and it's as an adaptation that I will judge it.
The sharp tragedy that was impossible to read with dry eyes is dulled in the movie, perhaps they chose to spare us from the intense harship that Steinbeck wanted us to feel. I mean just imagine the actual sad, almost horrific ending in the book instead of that strong speech by Ma about the resilience of the people. And it's not a matter of the book being too long, adapatations have always had to deal with that problem. I saw this movie after having read the book, and was dissapointed that it didn't hit me nearly as hard as it should have.
The other issue is that the writers should not have made incompelete attempts to familiarize us with the full cast when they knew full well they can't do all of them justice in a 2 or 3 hour movie, instead they should have made the hard decision to cut out whole aspects for the story since all they did was blur the main plot when they gave this little exposure to some side characters, sometimes as little as one line or two in the whole movie (eg the rather complex Connie character). Connie not having said anything at all might have been better.
If you want to see Steinbeck done right, check out Of Mice and Men.
Member Reviews
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The Grapes of Wrath - TheWiz
Putting a powerful novel to film such as this one is a daunting task. But this is an excellent adaptation and this film version continues to stand the test of time. Hard times are bound to happen and usually comes on unexpected. This is a tale of such an occurence. ...I smell spare ribs. - CaptainRhodes
Somebody's been eatin' spare ribs. How come I ain't got none?
The Grapes of Wrath is a great film. Obviously not for the MTV generation but them kids know nothing anyhow. Now where is them Spare ribs?
USELESS FACTS:
The novel's original ...Strong Film, Weak Adaptation - Plastic_Penguin
I won't talk about all of the movie's strengths since other reviews already have done that very well. Let's talk about what didn't work in this adaptation, and it's as an adaptation that I will judge it.
The sharp tragedy that was impossible to read with ...