The Grapes of Wrath (NR, 1940)

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!"

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.

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Director: John Ford
Cast: Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine
Genre: Drama
Run time: 128 minutes
Theatrical release: March 15, 1940
DVD release: April 6, 2004
MPAA Rating: NR