Genre: Drama Director(s): John Ford Release Date: 24 January 1940 Movie rating: 8.1

An adaptation of the famous novel by John Steinbeck released only a year before, 1940 John Ford directed film “The Grapes of Wrath” remains a masterpiece eight decades after it was released. It tells the story of the Joad family, Oklahoma farmers who lose their farm and struggle to survive through the Great Depression. Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) is released from prison and returns to his family farm only to find it deserted. He finds his family members staying at a relative’s house, and they tell him that they’ve lost the farm due to foreclosure by the bank. The Joads plan to trip cross country all the way to California in order to find work as migrant workers. The film then follows their arduous journey to California, documenting the severity of poverty in the Depression era America. Tom goes to a secret meeting held by striking workers in the camp where the Joads were staying. After the meeting is discovered by the camp guards a scuffle escalates, and Tom ends up killing one of the guards. The Joads manage to hide Tom in their truck and leave the camp, and after more trouble they finally make it to a state run work camp with much better conditions. Tom decides to commit his life to working for social change and leaves after giving a spirited farewell speech to the family members. As the family continues its journey towards California, Ma Joad, the matriarch of the family concludes the film with another spirited monologue emphasizing the strength and endurance of the common folk.

To post a message, you need to login. If you don't have a MagWeb login, you can register here.