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The Grapes of Wrath
- Review Date: January 10, 2005
- NR
- Genre: Drama
- 1940
Common Sense Media says
Classic John Steinbeck adaptation is still powerful.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that there's a little fighting and shooting in this classic film.
What's the story?
The classic John Steinbeck novel about dust-bowl farmers emigrating from Oklahoma to California became a classic film with Henry Fonda as Tom Joad and Jane Darwell (in an Oscar-winning performance) as his mother. Tom returns home after serving time in prison for manslaughter to find that his share-cropper family have lost the right to farm the land and are leaving to find jobs in California. All twelve of them pile into the truck , including Casey, a former minister. In California, thousands of migrants have arrived. Exploited by the bosses, the workers are too scared to organize and insist on better treatment. The bosses have hired thugs who prevent anyone from objecting to their treatment. Tom kills one, Casey is killed, and Tom kills the assailant. Wanted by the authorities, Tom cannot stay with his family, which has now found a government-sponsored work camp with better conditions. After he leaves, Ma says, "Rich fellers come up. They die. Their kids ain't no good and they die out. But we keep a-comin'. We're the people that live. Can't wipe us out. Can't lick us. We'll go on forever, 'cause we're the people!"
Is it any good?
This brilliant film shows us a family of enormous dignity and commitment. Though Ma says that they are not "the kissin' kind," and they show little emotion (except for Ma's delight in Tom's return from prison) there is clearly a great deal of love in the family.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how director John Ford used the landscapes to help create the mood and tell the story. How did he do that here? Casey is often considered to be a Christ-like figure. What causes people to make that comparison? What do you think about Tom's comment that we all have "a piece of a big soul"? About Ma's comment that "the people will go on"? What is the life of migrant workers like today? To the extent that it has improved, what and who made it better?
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AGE
Good in it's own way
I saw this in 6th grade in Social Studies, so I didn't really see every single second of it, but from the jist I got I thought it was a good movie about the hard-hitting, farmer's view of the Depression. I even got the book. The acting was great, and I loved the scenes where they're in the loaded car!
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AGE
Great example of the Great Depression
Grapes of Wrath, clearly shows what it was like for travlers during the Great Depression.
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AGE
My favorite movie
Perfect in every single way.
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AGE
Go for it!
Great portrayal of social issues, the book would be pretty heavy for this age, but the movie is fine.
Also, great actors such as Fonda and Darwell.
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| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Director: | John Ford |
| Cast: | Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 128 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | March 15, 1940 |
| DVD release date: | April 6, 2004 |
| MPAA rating: | NR |
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