The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath. 1941 20th Century Fox.
Starring: Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, Shirley Mills, John Qualen, Eddie Quillan
Director: John Ford
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, a 'Ford at Fox Collection' single DVD, or as part of the Ford at Fox Collection: The Essential John Ford box set.

The film version of John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. John Ford and executive producer Darryl F. Zanuck were both considered politically conservative, and the book contained left-wing political views, particularly the ending, and the choices of Ford and Zanuck to make the film was a surprise to some critics.

Tom Joad (Fonda) has been paroled from prison after four years for manslaughter, and he's on his way back to the Joad family farm in Oklahoma. Before getting there, Tom meets an old family friend, Casey (Carradine), a former preacher warning him about dust storms, crop failures, and advances in agricultural methods have ruined Oklahoma's once prosperous farm lands. When Tom gets home, he finds that his family is making plans to head west to California in search of employment since their farm has been foreclosed by the bank.

Following a long trek down Route 66, where Grampa dies, and later, another migrant warns them that California isn't as great as it sounds, the Joads make it to the Golden State, and do not last long in the first two migrant camps. Casey ends up murdered by a guard from the second camp at a secret meeting held by striking migrants unhappy with high food prices at the local store. Tom accidentally kills the guard who killed Casey, but suffers a wound on his face, which would make identifying him too easy. The Joads hide Tom long enough to leave the second camp, and they end up at a legitimate one run by the Department of Agriculture. Tom becomes personally idealized by his experiences, and plans to carry on Casey's mission in the world and fight for social reform. He must leave his family behind to accomplish this mission. The rest of the Joads move on from this camp, but realize that they're not going to be defeated by anything else in the future.

Recommended movie.