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The Grapes of Wrath

  • 19401940
  • PassedPassed
  • 2h 9m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
92K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Henry Fonda, John Carradine, Jane Darwell, Dorris Bowdon, Frank Darien, and Russell Simpson in The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Theatrical Trailer from 20th Century Fox
Play trailer2:22
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Drama

An Oklahoma family driven off their farm by the poverty and hopelessness of the Dust Bowl joins the westward migration to California, suffering the misfortunes of the homeless in the Great D... Read allAn Oklahoma family driven off their farm by the poverty and hopelessness of the Dust Bowl joins the westward migration to California, suffering the misfortunes of the homeless in the Great Depression.An Oklahoma family driven off their farm by the poverty and hopelessness of the Dust Bowl joins the westward migration to California, suffering the misfortunes of the homeless in the Great Depression.

IMDb RATING
8.1/10
92K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • John Ford
  • Writers
    • Nunnally Johnson(screen play)
    • John Steinbeck(based on the novel by)
  • Stars
    • Henry Fonda
    • Jane Darwell
    • John Carradine
Top credits
  • Director
    • John Ford
  • Writers
    • Nunnally Johnson(screen play)
    • John Steinbeck(based on the novel by)
  • Stars
    • Henry Fonda
    • Jane Darwell
    • John Carradine
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 382User reviews
    • 103Critic reviews
    • 96Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #231
    • Won 2 Oscars
      • 10 wins & 5 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Grapes of Wrath
    Trailer 2:22
    The Grapes of Wrath

    Photos127

    Henry Fonda in The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
    Jane Darwell and Russell Simpson in The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
    Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell in The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
    Henry Fonda, John Carradine, and John Qualen in The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
    O.Z. Whitehead in The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
    Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, Dorris Bowdon, Frank Darien, Darryl Hickman, Shirley Mills, Russell Simpson, and O.Z. Whitehead in The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
    Henry Fonda in The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
    Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, and Dorris Bowdon in The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
    Henry Fonda in The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
    Henry Fonda in The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
    Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell in The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
    Henry Fonda, Dorris Bowdon, Frank Darien, Eddie Quillan, Russell Simpson, Frank Sully, and O.Z. Whitehead in The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Henry Fonda
    Henry Fonda
    • Tom Joadas Tom Joad
    Jane Darwell
    Jane Darwell
    • Ma Joadas Ma Joad
    John Carradine
    John Carradine
    • Jim Casyas Jim Casy
    Charley Grapewin
    Charley Grapewin
    • Grandpa Joadas Grandpa Joad
    Dorris Bowdon
    Dorris Bowdon
    • Rosasharn Riversas Rosasharn Rivers
    Russell Simpson
    Russell Simpson
    • Pa Joadas Pa Joad
    O.Z. Whitehead
    O.Z. Whitehead
    • Al Joadas Al Joad
    John Qualen
    John Qualen
    • Muley Batesas Muley Bates
    Eddie Quillan
    Eddie Quillan
    • Connie Riversas Connie Rivers
    Zeffie Tilbury
    Zeffie Tilbury
    • Grandma Joadas Grandma Joad
    Frank Sully
    Frank Sully
    • Noah Joadas Noah Joad
    Frank Darien
    Frank Darien
    • Uncle John Joadas Uncle John Joad
    Darryl Hickman
    Darryl Hickman
    • Winfield Joadas Winfield Joad
    Shirley Mills
    Shirley Mills
    • Ruthie Joadas Ruthie Joad
    Roger Imhof
    Roger Imhof
    • Thomasas Thomas
    Grant Mitchell
    Grant Mitchell
    • Caretakeras Caretaker
    Charles D. Brown
    • Wilkieas Wilkie
    John Arledge
    John Arledge
    • Davisas Davis
    • Director
      • John Ford
    • Writers
      • Nunnally Johnson(screen play)
      • John Steinbeck(based on the novel by)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    The Joad clan, introduced to the world in John Steinbeck's iconic novel, is looking for a better life in California. After their drought-ridden farm is seized by the bank, the family -- led by just-paroled son Tom -- loads up a truck and heads West. On the road, beset by hardships, the Joads meet dozens of other families making the same trek and holding onto the same dream. Once in California, however, the Joads soon realize that the promised land isn't quite what they hoped. —Jwelch5742
    • great depression
    • bakersfield california
    • penny candy
    • colorado river bridge
    • softhearted truck drivers
    • 159 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The thousands who have read the book will know why WE WILL NOT SELL ANY CHILDREN TICKETS to see this picture!
    • Genre
      • Drama
    • Certificate
      • Passed
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      John Steinbeck loved the movie and said that Henry Fonda as Tom Joad made him "believe my own words".
    • Goofs
      When Casy and Tom are walking along the road towards the Joads' old farm, their shadows can be seen on the painted backdrop behind them. Also you can hear the reverberation caused by the film stage when they speak.
    • 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.

    • Alternate versions
      International distributions (e.g. UK) have a short ~30 second prologue at the beginning to explain the historical context to the story to touch on the socio-economic problems in the US which arose during the Great Depression and the concurrent Dust Bowl.
    • Connections
      Edited into John Ford: The Man Who Invented America (2019)
    • Soundtracks
      Red River Valley
      (uncredited)

      Traditional

      Played during the opening credits and often in the score

      Sung by Henry Fonda at the dance

    User reviews382

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    The definitive Great Depression film
    Classic Hollywood films that tried to tackle important issues or answer big questions, typically were cheesy and hard to take seriously. They had gratuitous overacting, fake "Hollywood" dialogue, and just general over dramatization. Since these films are typically over-dramatized in this way, their attempts at having a deeper or meaning or some sort of a message are ruined. But not all classic Hollywood films fall into this abyss of clichés. And the ones that don't are still remembered and cherished to this very day, films like Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, or Modern Times, or 12 Angry Men, faced serious social issues at the time and succeeded. Films like these are unforgettable and in many ways life changing, and John Ford's Grapes of Wrath is one of these precious films.

    As I'm sure you all already know Grapes of Wrath is an adaptation of the John Steinbeck Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name, that was published only a year before the film was first released. The novel is one of the greatest of the 20th Century, and I highly recommend that you should check it out. The film and the novel are both about Tom Joad, (played by Henry Fonda, who collaborated with John Ford several times.) who returns to his family's home in Oklahoma after spending 4 years in prison, but unfortunately by the time Tom Joad makes it out of prison, the country has fallen into the Great Depression. And the Joad family were unfortunately sharecroppers, so of course the bank repossessed there home and land, and the Joad family are forced to head west to California to look for work. But as they get closer and closer to California things begin to seem hopeless as they learn the truth about what is going on out in the west.

    If I were to choose one word to describe The Grapes of Wrath it would be haunting, so many scenes and lines of dialogue send shivers down your spine and make tears grow in the back of your eyes. I won't spoil any of these fantastic moments, but dear god the combination of John Steinbeck's masterful writing and the actors's somber performances combine to make these scenes and lines of dialogues absolutely devastating, you will be thinking about them for weeks after you watch the film. The cinematography (done by the legendary Gregg Toland, who also was the cinematographer for Citizen Kane.) is also outstanding. Shots of the deserted houses in Oklahoma, the wide open road on highway 66, and the overcrowded filthy slums of California, all give The Grapes of Wrath a bleak depressing atmosphere.

    Every single actor in the film gives it his/her all, Jane Darwell won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her role as Ma Joad, and Henry Fonda was nominated for best leading actor. And while these two performances are just perfect, every single roll in the film no matter how small is also perfect. (well, except for some minor child-actor roles.) John Ford is an excellent actor director though, so this should come as no surprise. John Ford also won the Oscar for best director, this was his second Oscar (his first was for The Informer.) and it is well deserved, each scene is meticulously crafted to dig real deep into the audiences emotions and not in a way that feels cheap by exploiting the audience or something. No instead of going for cheap shallow emotions the way an Oscar-bait movie would, Grapes of Wrath instead has characters that don't even feel like characters that are going through actual struggles, there is no cheap manipulation in this film. It is 100% genuine.

    John Ford was a strange person for 20th century fox to pick to direct The Grapes of Wrath, because he was politically conservative and the book/film supported several liberal political ideas like strikes and unions. But John Ford was definitely the right choice. (see what I did there.) Grapes of Wrath was one of the few American films that was allowed to be released in the Soviet Union,it was only allowed because it supported pro-communist ideas. But it eventually had to be pulled from The Soviet Union when Soviet audiences saw that even dirt-poor begging Americans could still afford cars. In 1989 The Grapes of Wrath was one of the first 25 films to be added to the national film registry, alongside films like Citizen Kane, Vertigo, and Casablanca. And it deserves its spot there, Grapes of Wrath has become the definitive Great Depression film, and should be viewed by everyone.

    9.5/10
    helpful•12
    1
    • willwoodmill
    • Feb 26, 2016

    FAQ10

    • Near the end of the film, Tom's employer shows the workers a flyer talking about "Red agitators" and Tom asks about the meaning of the message -- what's the message?
    • What is 'The Grapes of Wrath' about?
    • Is "The Grapes of Wrath" based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 15, 1940 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Highway 66
    • Filming locations
      • Santa Rosa, New Mexico, USA
    • Production company
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $800,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 9 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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