The Grapes of Wrath was made in 1940 and can be considered to be director John Ford’s greatest black and white movie as it sometimes even surpasses the greatness of its literary source, a 1939 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by John Steinbeck, having the same name (Chapman, p.165). The movie retells the tale of the Oklahoma family of the Joads during the 1930s that have lost their farm because of the Great Depression. They are now migrant workers who have landed up in California. They have to face terrible trials throughout their journey and finally become slave laborers. But the family refuses to succumb to circumstances and thus the entire movie tells us about the opportunities they find in California while searching for work.
Considered to be among the director’s greatest epic dramas, the movie is heartfelt and moving although at some points there is random rambling and structure along with emotional and excessively political narratives. The main character of the movie is Henry Fonda who plays Tom Joad and he totally overpowers the entire movie. He plays a prison parolee who returns home only to find out that his family has been thrown out of their farm and thus they have to move to California, which too does not turn out too well since Tom gets into numerous fights. The movie is full of neo-communist and democratic schmaltz but at the same time gives Henry Fonda a voice to reach the audience through art (Chapman, p. 166)
The Grapes of Wrath perfectly documents the social tragedy of American life in those times recounting the Joad family’s poignant yet painful odyssey. Henry Fonda in his portrayal of Tom Joad had perfectly represented the difficulty faced by the “Okies” of those times. The Grapes of Wrath is extremely emotionally gripping and John Ford has presented his idea of the actual novel in such a manner that the audiences require a moment before they can gather themselves and move from one intimidating scene to the next one. The movie has been shot mainly in and around the migrant camps of Pomona, California.
However, John Ford has also filmed a second unit capturing a few of the background shots in Oklahoma framing his shots in such a way that the desolate exteriors, huge, barren landscapes, and clouded skies become ubiquitous giving the audience a feeling which the harsh and displaced lives of the Okies brought them.
Later, the film takes an optimistic turn with the introduction of Grant Mitchell in the life of the Joads as the Caretaker when the family locates a government camp. Grant Mitchell represents security and guardianship for the family and has been portrayed as a compassionate person with a slight similarity with Franklin D. Roosevelt. John Ford has cleverly shot the Joads family portraying them as more than just mere victims since he has turned the depressing tale of these Okies into one which has promise and hope. The greatness of the movie lies in its message which tells the audience that even when the Joads family was physically moved from their farm, they were not morally or emotionally defeated, and thus it was their belief which slowly brought back their lost faith turning their story into an example for all of America.
Basically, the movie summarizes the consequences brought about by the Great Depression on the rural population of America and has done so better than any other movie in its time. The Grapes of Wrath has been beautifully shot in a documentary, journalistic manner having a number of chiaroscuro and low-key lighting effects provided by either low or candle lights. The movie also has a monochromatic, i.e. black and white, texture that has been extraordinarily captured by its cinematographer Gregg Toland. Due to this the picture possesses an astute realism that was actually present in the rural American areas during the 1930s. Alfred Newman’s musical score further provides the movie with an extra flavor.
Right from the movie’s opening shot where Tom Joad returns back to his ruined homeland, we realize that the movie describes those people whose hopes and ambitions have withered away just like their crops. But still, John Ford has managed to make a movie that is not completely pessimistic even though it has a disheartening setup and storyline. The script of the movie and the performers gave the director strong characters who were portrayed so realistically that Ford was even able to persuade the cynical viewers of the movie to accept and praise his artistic vision.
The Grapes of Wrath actually became one that transcended fact from fiction through John Ford’s images. Ford showed a lot of courage and hard work to make The Grapes of Wrath and because of this even in 1989 when the movie became among the very first ones to be made a part of the highly recognized National Film Registry it had not lost any of its glamour, power or sincerity as a historical statement, a piece of cinematic artwork and a social document.
Works Cited
Chapman, Michael. 100 Favorite Hollywood Movies. New York: Pocket, 1993.