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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).

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
See More Oscar Winners

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 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

The Grapes of Wrath (1940) with Henry Fonda

By Greg Orypeck on Apr 30, 2015 From Classic Film Freak

Share This! “If there was a law they was workin’ with, maybe we could take it, but it ain’t the law.  They’re workin’ away our spirits, tryin’ to make us cringe and crawl, takin’ away our decency.” —— Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) A man walks along an empty Oklahoma highway.  The blac... Read full article

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The Grapes of Wrath Quotes:

Tom Joad: If there was a law, they was workin' with maybe we could take it, but it ain't the law. They're workin' away our spirits, tryin' to make us cringe and crawl, takin' away our decency.
Tom Joad: Takes no nerve to do something, ain't nothin' else you can do.
Grandpa Joad: I smell spare ribs. Somebody's been eatin' spare ribs. How come I ain't got none?
Tom Joad: Seems like the government's got more interest in a dead man than a live one.
Grandpa Joad: It's my dirt! Eh-heh! No good, but it's - it's mine, all mine.
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The Grapes of Wrath Facts
John Ford banned all makeup and perfume from the set on the grounds that it was not in keeping with the tone of the picture.
2007: The American Film Institute ranked this as the #23 Greatest Movie of All Time.
Henry Fonda currently holds the record for the longest gap between acting Oscar nominations. His first nomination was for The Grapes of Wrath in 1940, his second was for On Golden Pond in 1981, 41 years later. He received one other Oscar nomination in the period between his two acting nominations, that was for producer of 12 Angry Men in 1957.
The production had a fake working title, "Highway 66", so that the shoot of the controversial novel would not be effected by union problems. Much of the dire straits portrayed in the film continued during and after the release of the movie.
Beulah Bondi was tested for the role of Ma Joad. Bondi, believing that she had the part, reportedly bought an old jalopy and moved to Bakersfield (CA) to live among the migrant workers in order to research the role.
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