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The Grapes of Wrath
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Synopsis
The adaptation of Nobel Prize-winner John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of dirt-poor Dust Bowl migrants by 4-time Oscar-winning director John Ford starred Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, who opens the movie returning to his Oklahoma home after serving jail time for manslaughter. En route, Tom meets family friend Casey (John Carradine), a former preacher who warns Tom that dust storms, crop failures, and new agricultural methods have financially decimated the once prosperous Oklahoma farmland. Upon returning to his family farm, Tom is greeted by his mother (Oscar-winner Jane Darwell), who tells him that the family is packing up for the "promised land" of California. Warned that they shouldn't expect a warm welcome in California--they've already seen the caravan of dispirited farmers, heading back home after striking out at finding work--the Joads push on all the same. Their first stop is a wretched migrant camp, full of starving children and surrounded by armed guards. Further down the road, the Joads drive into an idyllic government camp, with clean lodging, indoor plumbing, and a self-governing clientele. When Tom ultimately bids goodbye to his mother, who asks him where he'll go, he delivers the film's most famous speech: "I'll be all around...Wherever there's a fight so hungry people can eat...Whenever there's a cop beating a guy, I'll be there...And when the people are eatin' the stuff they raise and livin' in the houses they build. I'll be there too." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast

John Arledge Davis
Doris Bowden Rosasharn
Charles D. Brown Wilkie
John Carradine Jim Casey
Frank Darien Uncle John
Jane Darwell Ma Joad
Henry Fonda Tom Joad
Charles Grapewin Grandpa Joad
Darryl Hickman Winfield Joad
Roger Imhof Thomas
Shirley Mills Ruth Joad
Grant Mitchell Caretaker
John Qualen Muley Graves
Eddie Quillan Connie Rivers
Russell Simpson Pa Joad
Frank Sully Noah Joad
Zeffie Tilbury Gramma Joad
O.Z. Whitehead Al Joad

Production Crew

Mark-Lee Kirk Art Director
Richard Day Art Director
Nunnally Johnson Associate Producer
John Steinbeck Book Author
Gregg Toland Cinematographer
Alfred Newman Composer (Music Score)
Gwen Wakeling Costume Designer
John Ford Director
Robert L. Simpson Editor
Edward O'Fearna First Assistant Director
Alfred Newman Musical Direction/Supervision
Darryl F. Zanuck Producer
Nunnally Johnson Screenwriter
Thomas K. Little Set Designer
George Leverett Sound/Sound Designer
Roger Heman Sound/Sound Designer
Year: 1940
Runtime: 129
Country: USA
MPAA Rating:
Category: Feature

Genre
Drama

Produced by
20th Century Fox

Awards
1940 - Best Film - New York Film Critics Circle
1940 - Best Picture - Academy
1940 - Best Picture - National Board of Review
1940 - Best Picture - New York Film Critics Circle
1940 - Best Picture - Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie
1940 - Best Picture - National Board of Review
1940 - Best Picture - New York Film Critics Circle
1988 - U.S. National Film Registry - Library of Congress
1998 - 100 Greatest American Movies - American Film Institute
1998 - 100 Greatest American Movies - American Film Institute