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The Grapes of Wrath

8.3

23,235

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Original title: The Grapes of Wrath
Year: 1940
Running time: 129 min.
Country: United States
Director: John Ford
Screenwriter: Nunnally Johnson. Novel: John Steinbeck
Music: Alfred Newman
Cinematography: Gregg Toland (B&W)
Cast: Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, Charley Grapewin, Dorris Bowdon, Russell Simpson, John Qualen, O.Z. Whitehead, Eddie Quillan, Zeffie Tilbury, Ward Bond
Producer: 20th Century Fox. Producer: Darryl F. Zanuck
Genre: Drama | Poverty. The Great Depression. Small Town Life (North-american). Social Drama. Road Movie
Movie Groups: John Steinbeck Adaptations
Synopsis: When Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) returns home after being released from prison, he discovers his family has been kicked out of their farm. Seeking a better future, he leaves with his mother (Jane Darwell) and the rest of the family to California. However, their journey is far from easy, and there is no guarantee the promised land will provide the life they are hoping for.

Rankings Position

#27 Best US Movies of all time
#30 Best Drama Movies
#39 Best Movies in the history of film

Awards: 1940: 2 Academy Awards: Best Director, Supporting Actress (Jane Darwell). 7 Nominations

1940: National Board of Review: Best Film

1940: New York Film Critics Circle: Best Film and Best Director

Critics' reviews

"An absorbing, tense melodrama, starkly realistic, and loaded with social and political fireworks"

John C. Flinn Sr.: Variety
"The Grapes of Wrath is just about as good as any picture has a right to be; if it were any better, we just wouldn't believe our eyes"

Bosley Crowther: The New York Times
"[It] contains not a single shot that seems careless or routine.(...) [it is] founded in real experience and feeling (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"

Roger Ebert: rogerebert.com
"[One of] those films which by dignity of theme and excellence of treatment seem to be of enduring artistry, seem destined to be recalled (...) whenever great motion pictures are mentioned"

Frank S. Nugent: The New York Times
"'The Grapes of Wrath' ultimately works so well because Ford is a practical, confident, masterful filmmaker (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"

Chuck Bowen: Slant
"Ford's film, shot by Gregg Toland with magnificent, lyrical simplicity, captures the stark plainness of the migrants, stripped to a few possessions (...) and little hope."

Time Out
"One of the film's great glories is the cinematography, by Gregg Toland (...) virtually every frame is a marvel in its own right."

Sheila Johnston: Telegraph

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Ranking Lists Position

49 My Favorite Book to Film Adaptation (37)

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