The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name written by John Steinbeck.  I never read the book, but I intend to some time soon.  From what I read the movie follows the first half of the book pretty closely, but the second half does not.

The Grapes of Wrath stars Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, Jane Darwell as Ma Joad, John Carradine as Jim Casey, Russell Simpson as Pa Joad, Dorris Bowdin as Rose of Sharon “Rosasharn” Rivers, Charley Grapewin as Grandpa William James Joad, Zeffie Tilbury as Grandma Joad, and Frank Darien as Uncle John Joad.

The movie was directed by John Ford and released on January 14, 1940.  The time period is the great depression.  I first saw this movie many years ago while in college.  I was a film student and one day the professor had us watch the entire movie in class.  The course I took was on film critique.  We watched a number of films throughout the semester and discussed them afterwards.  Many people would say that The Grapes of Wrath is worth watching just for Henry Fonda;s performance.  I do agree that Mr. Fonda gave a stellar performance, but I say that the movie is worth seeing for the performances of the entire cast.  I don’t want to take anything away from them by singling out Henry Fonda.  The entire cast was amazing.

In 1989 the Library of Congress choose The Grapes of Wrath as one of the first 25 films to be preserved in the National Film Registry because of its historical significance.  The movie is indeed significant in the fabric of American history.  In the 1930′s severe dust bowl storms caused tremendous damage to American and Canadian farmland.  As a result farmers could not pay their loans and the banks foreclosed on the land and homes.  Many families headed for California because it was believed to be the promised land.  However, the nation was in a great depression.  The families who traveled across the nation from the Midwest were in for a rude awakening.  They were unskilled laborers who were taken terrible advantage of by those who did have money and doing well.  Many could not find work and those who did were paid extremely low wages.  The people were made to live like pigs and there was starvation throughout.  It is a very sad period in American history and another example of man’s inhumanity to man.  In my opinion very little has changed.  Big corporations continue to suck people dry.  The Federal Reserve Act which is the biggest scam and Ponzi scheme ever is still in full force decades later.  The rich get richer and do not want the mass of the people to prosper as well.

Tom Joad has just been released from prison where he spent 4 years after killing a man in self-defense.  There is no transportation so Tom is walking home through the barren and dry lands that were once fertile.  Tom asks a trucker if he can give him a lift.  In the scenes with the trucker you immediately get a glimpse of Tom’s personality.  Tom is a good man, but he is prone to having a quick temper which gets him into trouble, and you can sense that his quick temper is going to get him into more trouble down the road.

Tom Joad also annoyed me during this scene because while the truck driver was being nosy he was also still being kind enough to give Tom a ride.  How about a little gratitude and thanks.  You don’t bite off the hand that is feeding you as the saying goes.  Maybe I just need to read the book in order to understand Tom Joad better.

Tom rides as far as he can with the truck driver.  When he gets off the truck Tom continues walking towards his family farm and on the way he runs into former pastor Jim Casey.  Jim  is no longer a preacher because he lost his faith and is no longer sure what to believe in.  Casey joins Tom on his walk to his family home.  Tom finds his family home empty and deserted.  A former neighbor and farmer has been hiding out in Tom’s family home and that is how Tom learns what has been going on while he was in prison.

Tom’s mother, played brilliantly by Jane Darwell, is so happy and relieved to see her son after so many years.  No one in the family knew that Tom was paroled and on his way home.  Ma Joad was getting ready to leave for California with the rest of the family and feared she would never see or hear from her son again.

Tom arrived just in the knick of time because the Joads are heading out for California at dawn the next day.  The bank is coming to foreclosure on the farm of Tom’s Uncle John.  The family was able to raise $200. by selling some of their belongings.  Out of the $200. $75. was spent to buy an old Jalopy for the family to drive to California in.

The Joads are all packed and ready to leave.  The family asks if Jim Casey would like to join them and he goes with the Joads to California.