The Grapes of Wrath Overview:

The Grapes of Wrath (1940) was a Drama - Black-and-white Film directed by John Ford and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and Nunnally Johnson.

The film was based on the novel of the same name written by John Steinbeck published in 1939.

SYNOPSIS

Ford directs what many consider to be Fonda's greatest role. Based on Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1939 novel, the story follows an Oklahoma family's escape from the Dustbowl to join the migration to California's fruit harvest. Fonda shines as Tom Joad, a poor farmer who refuses to be beaten down by misfortune and oppression, and Darwell is moving as the loving backbone of the Joad family. An unusually compassionate and socially conscious film, it's like a series of Dorothea Lange photos from the Depression, full of suffering and dignity.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

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The Grapes of Wrath was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1989.

Academy Awards 1940 --- Ceremony Number 13 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best ActorHenry FondaNominated
Best Supporting ActressJane DarwellWon
Best DirectorJohn FordWon
Best Film EditingRobert SimpsonNominated
Best Picture20th Century-FoxNominated
Best WritingNunnally JohnsonNominated
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The Grapes of Wrath BlogHub Articles:

The Grapes of Wrath (1940) – Updated

By 4 Star Film Fan on Dec 7, 2015 From 4 Star Films

The Grapes of Wrath is in special company with a number of literary adaptations where film and source material are both so highly regarded and cultural significant. A few other names spring to mind such as Gone with the Wind, A Streetcar Named Desire, and To Kill a Mockingbird. However, even more so... Read full article


Review: The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Dec 7, 2015 From 4 Star Films

The Grapes of Wrath is in special company with a number of literary adaptations where film and source material are both so highly regarded and cultural significant. A few other names spring to mind such as Gone with the Wind, A Streetcar Named Desire, and To Kill a Mockingbird. However, even more so... Read full article


Review: The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Dec 7, 2015 From 4 Star Films

The Grapes of Wrath is in special company with a number of literary adaptations where film and source material are both so highly regarded and culturally significant. A few other names spring to mind such as Gone with the Wind, A Streetcar Named Desire, and To Kill a Mockingbird. However, even more ... Read full article


The Joad's Journey in The Grapes of Wrath

By Amanda Garrett on Oct 19, 2015 From Old Hollywood Films

Today, I'm writing about the Joad's journey from Oklahoma to California in The Grapes of Wrath (1940). This production still shows Dorris Bowdon (left), Jane Darwell, and Henry Fonda packed into the front seat of the family's Hudson Super Six Sedan. This article is part of the Classic Movie Blog ... Read full article


The Grapes of Wrath (1940, John Ford)

By Andrew Wickliffe on Jun 26, 2015 From The Stop Button

The Grapes of Wrath starts in a darkened neverland. Director Ford and cinematographer Gregg Toland create a realer than real Oklahoma for protagonist Henry Fonda to journey across. The locations and sets aren’t as important as how Fonda (and the audience) experience it. It’s actually rat... Read full article


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Quotes from The Grapes of Wrath

Casy: Maybe there ain't no sin and there ain't no virtue, they's just what people does. Some things folks do is nice and some ain't so nice, and that's all any man's got a right to say.


Casy: I wouldn't pray just for a old man that's dead, 'cause he's all right. If I was to pray, I'd pray for folks that's alive and don't know which way to turn.


Ma Joad: Well, Pa, a woman can change better'n a man. A man lives sorta - well, in jerks. Baby's born or somebody dies, and that's a jerk. He gets a farm or loses it, and that's a jerk. With a woman, it's all in one flow, like a stream - little eddies and waterfalls - but the river, it goes right on. Woman looks at it thata way.


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Facts about The Grapes of Wrath

Producer Darryl F. Zanuck knew that Henry Fonda was desperate for the part of Tom Joad, so he let it be known that he was going to offer the part to Tyrone Power. Fonda pleaded with Zanuck for the part, and in order to get it Zanuck talked him into signing an eight-picture deal with 20th Century-Fox.
John Steinbeck loved the movie and said that Henry Fonda as Tom Joad made him "believe my own words".
Noah Joad simply vanishes after the scene of the family swimming in the Colorado River. In the book, Noah tells Tom he has decided to stay by the river. In the film, his disappearance is never explained.
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Best Supporting Actress Oscar 1940






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National Film Registry

The Grapes of Wrath

Released 1940
Inducted 1989
(Sound)




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Also directed by John Ford




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Also produced by Darryl F. Zanuck




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Also released in 1940




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