The Bottom Line
Pros
- Unforgettable visual depiction of migrant workers during the Great Depression
- Emotionally involving story about the effects on the family of disenfranchisement
- Memorable performances by Henry Fonda as Tom Joad and Jane Darwell as Ma Joad
Cons
- Some dialogue doesn’t seem to fit the poorly educated characters delivering it
- Movie is occasionally overly sentimental
- DVD special features not as good as I had hoped for
Description
- DVD containing great classic American movie “The Grapes of Wrath” (1940), directed by John Ford
- DVD has audio commentary by film scholar Joseph McBride and Steinbeck scholar Susan Shillinglaw
- DVD provides A & E biography of studio boss Darryl F. Zanuck (45-min.)
- DVD has Movietone News segments (5) related to movie
- DVD provides restoration comparisons, theatrical trailer, and still gallery
- Very good picture and sound quality
- MPAA Rating: PG
- Feature run time: 2 hours 9 minutes
- DVD release date: April 6, 2004
Guide Review - "The Grapes of Wrath" DVD
I think the great strength of the American classic movie “The Grapes of Wrath” (1940) is that director John Ford and cinematographer Gregg Toland created visual images of the Great Depression that are indelibly etched in my memory. The most unforgettable scene for me takes place just outside a California town in a so-called Hooverville, a place where migrant workers live in squalor in a collection of shacks put together from crates and other castoff materials. That scene captures better than any I know what it means to be disenfranchised.
The movie focuses on the Joad family, beginning with their eviction from their rural Oklahoma homes and showing them driving west on Route 66 in a dilapidated old truck. They end up trying to eke out a living as migrant laborers in enormous California agribusiness operations. The film’s dialogue sometimes sounds stagy to me, but I still admire the strong performances of Henry Fonda as Tom Joad and Jane Darwell as Ma Joad.
The movie “The Grapes of Wrath” is adapted from John Steinbeck’s powerful 1939 novel, and the best bonus material on the DVD is an audio commentary track that pairs Steinbeck scholar Susan Shillinglaw with film scholar Joseph McBride, author of two books on John Ford. Another fairly good special feature on the DVD is a 45-minute A & E biography on Hollywood studio boss Darryl F. Zanuck.
