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IMDbPro

The Grapes of Wrath

  • 1940
  • Approved
  • 2h 9m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
105K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,244
498
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
Period DramaTragedyDrama

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... 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.

  • Director
    • John Ford
  • Writers
    • Nunnally Johnson
    • John Steinbeck
  • Stars
    • Henry Fonda
    • Jane Darwell
    • John Carradine
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.1/10
    105K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,244
    498
    • Director
      • John Ford
    • Writers
      • Nunnally Johnson
      • John Steinbeck
    • Stars
      • Henry Fonda
      • Jane Darwell
      • John Carradine
    • 460User reviews
    • 96Critic reviews
    • 96Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #244
    • Won 2 Oscars
      • 13 wins & 6 nominations total

    Videos1

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

    Photos125

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    + 118
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    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Henry Fonda
    Henry Fonda
    • Tom Joad
    Jane Darwell
    Jane Darwell
    • Ma Joad
    John Carradine
    John Carradine
    • Casy
    Charley Grapewin
    Charley Grapewin
    • Grandpa
    Dorris Bowdon
    Dorris Bowdon
    • Rosasharn
    Russell Simpson
    Russell Simpson
    • Pa Joad
    O.Z. Whitehead
    O.Z. Whitehead
    • Al
    John Qualen
    John Qualen
    • Muley
    Eddie Quillan
    Eddie Quillan
    • Connie
    Zeffie Tilbury
    Zeffie Tilbury
    • Grandma
    Frank Sully
    Frank Sully
    • Noah
    Frank Darien
    Frank Darien
    • Uncle John
    Darryl Hickman
    Darryl Hickman
    • Winfield
    Shirley Mills
    Shirley Mills
    • Ruth Joad
    Roger Imhof
    Roger Imhof
    • Thomas
    Grant Mitchell
    Grant Mitchell
    • Caretaker
    Charles D. Brown
    • Wilkie
    John Arledge
    John Arledge
    • Davis
    • Director
      • John Ford
    • Writers
      • Nunnally Johnson
      • John Steinbeck
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Prior to filming, producer Darryl F. Zanuck sent undercover investigators out to the migrant camps to see if John Steinbeck had exaggerated about the squalor and unfair treatment meted out there. He was horrified to discover that Steinbeck had actually downplayed what went on in the camps.
    • Goofs
      The character, Noah (Frank Sully), after he's seen playing with his boat in the river, simply drops out of the story without any explanation, and does not appear again. In the book there is a brief reference to him going off on his own, but no explanation, whatever, is given in the film for his departure.
    • Quotes

      Tom Joad: I been thinking about us, too, about our people living like pigs and good rich land layin' fallow. Or maybe one guy with a million acres and a hundred thousand farmers starvin'. And I been wonderin' if all our folks got together and yelled...

      Ma Joad: Oh, Tommy, they'd drag you out and cut you down just like they done to Casy.

      Tom Joad: They'd drag me anyways. Sooner or later they'd get me for one thing if not for another. Until then...

      Ma Joad: Tommy, you're not aimin' to kill nobody.

      Tom Joad: No, Ma, not that. That ain't it. It's just, well as long as I'm an outlaw anyways... maybe I can do somethin'... maybe I can just find out somethin', just scrounge around and maybe find out what it is that's wrong and see if they ain't somethin' that can be done about it. I ain't thought it out all clear, Ma. I can't. I don't know enough.

      Ma Joad: How am I gonna know about ya, Tommy? Why they could kill ya and I'd never know. They could hurt ya. How am I gonna know?

      Tom Joad: Well, maybe it's like Casy says. A fellow ain't got a soul of his own, just little piece of a big soul, the one big soul that belongs to everybody, then...

      Ma Joad: Then what, Tom?

      Tom Joad: Then it don't matter. I'll be all around in the dark - I'll be everywhere. Wherever you can look - wherever there's a fight, so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever there's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there. I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad. I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry and they know supper's ready, and when the people are eatin' the stuff they raise and livin' in the houses they build - I'll be there, too.

      Ma Joad: I don't understand it, Tom.

      Tom Joad: Me, neither, Ma, but - just somethin' I been thinkin' about.

    • 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 reviews460

    Featured review
    10/10

    Everyone should see Grapes of Wrath and be thankful for what they have!

    In rural Oklahoma, Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) is walking and hitchhiking home from prison, after a stay of four years. After taking a knife at a dance, Tom hit the attacker with a pan, killing him. Nevermind that it was self-defense, Tom still gets sent to prison. He hasn't heard from his parents, Ma (Jane Darwell) or Pa because they aren't the "writing types". A fierce dust storm makes Tom's final few steps treacherous. Arriving back at their small cabin, where his family are sharecroppers, Tom and his passing friend, Casy (John Carradine) are startled to find no one at home. A shell-shocked neighbor informs the other two that the family has been kicked off their land in foreclosure. They are nearby at Uncle John's house, where his family is about to suffer the same fate. Its the Depression and the Dust Bowl has ruined the land, taking off the top soil; no one can grow crops. When Tom catches up with his Ma and company, they are overjoyed to see him, for their plans are to pack a truck and move to California, where handbills show pickers are needed. Grandpa doesn't want to leave the only home he has ever known, so they drug him with medicine and haul him along. Now on the Mother Road, route 66, the journey is difficult; the truck breaks down frequently, no one wants them to stay long anywhere they rest, and Grandpa dies of a stroke. Will California really be the Golden, Promised Land? NOT ON YOUR LIFE! This heartbreaking adaptation of Steinbeck's classic is a must-see for the whole wide world. This family of hard-working folks has one calamity after another, just trying to earn an honest and living wage. Those who lived in the Dust Bowl part of the country were hit especially hard, as the soil had been overworked and winds took the topsoil off, creating damaging storms to crops, humans, and animals. No better were the "lies" of the handbills, advertisements that migrants were needed in California, where over 300,000 poor helpless folks showed up for very few jobs. The cast, with Fonda at the helm, is wonderful as is the scenery, costumes, and careful direction to show the truth of a desperate situation. Wanna get down on your knees and thank the Lord for what you have, Americans? You will when you view this amazing film!
    • inkblot11
    • Apr 15, 2018
    • Permalink

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    FAQ28

    • How long is The Grapes of Wrath?Powered by Alexa
    • 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?
    • What is an "Okie"?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 15, 1940 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Las viñas de la ira
    • Filming locations
      • Santa Rosa, New Mexico, USA(service station, diner, bridge, train sequence)
    • Production company
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $800,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $7,304
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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

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