The Grapes of Wrath [Blu-ray]

Director: John Ford John Ford

Overview

Adapted from John Steinbeck's novel, this classic drama shows how the Great Depression affects one American family. Evicted from their Oklahoma farm homes, the Joads head West to seek work, but two die during the journey. In California, the family's deterioration continues as they live in poverty in migrant camps.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/05/2012
UPC:	0024543773160
Original Release:	1940
Rating:	NR
Source:	20Th Century Fox
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	2:09:00

Special Features

Commentary by Joseph McBride (film scholar) and Susan Shillinglaw (John Steinbeck Scholar); Fox Movie Channel presents Fox Legacy with Tom Rothman; Darryl F. Zanuck: 20th Century filmmaker as seen on biography on the A&E Network; Fox Movietone news; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Henry Fonda	Tom Joad
Jane Darwell	Ma Joad
John Carradine	Casey
Dorris Bowdon	Rosaharn
Charley Grapewin	Grandpa Joad,Grandpa Joad
Russell Simpson	Pa Joad
O.Z. Whitehead	Al
John Qualen	Muley Graves
Eddie Quillen	Connie Rivers
Zeffie Tilbury	Grandma Joad
Frank Sully	Noah
Frank Darien	Uncle John
Darryl Hickman	Winfield Joad
Shirley Mills	Ruth Joad
Grant Mitchell	Guardian
Ward Bond	Policeman
Frank Faylen	Tim Wallace
Joe Sawyer	Accountant
Harry Tyler	Bert,Sheriff
Charles Middleton	Conductor,Leader
John Arledge	Davis
Hollis Jewell	Muley's Son
Paul Guilfoyle	Floyd
Charles D. Brown	Wilkie
Roger Imhof	Thomas
William Pawley	Bill
Arthur Aylesworth	Father
Charles Tannen	Joe
Selmer Jackson	Inspector,Inspector
Eddy Waller	Proprietor
David Hughes	Frank
Cliff Clark	Townsman
Adrian Morris	Agent
Robert E. Homans	Spencer
Irving Bacon	Conductor
Kitty McHugh	Mae
Georgia Simmons	Woman
James Flavin	Guard
George O'Hara	Clerk
Thornton Edwards	Motor Cop
Jack Pennick	Committeeman
Walter McGrail	Gang Leader
Paul Sutton	Deputy
Pat Flaherty	Deputy
Ralph Dunn	Deputy
George Breakston	Boy
Ted Oliver	State Policeman
Gloria Roy	Waitress
Norman Willis	Joe
Erville Alderson	Arkansas Storekeeper
Harry Strang	Fred the Truck Driver
Rex Lease	Cop
Inez Palange	Woman in Camp
Louis Mason	Man in Camp
Harry Tenbrook	Deputy/Troublemaker
Walter Miller	New Mexico Border Guard
Trevor Bardette	Jule
William Haade	Deputy Driver
Peggy Ryan	Hungry Girl
Wally Albright	Boy Who Ate
Mae Marsh	Floyd's Wife
Francis Ford	Actor
Shirley Coates	Actor,Actor
Eddie Quillan	Connie
Doris Bowden	Rosasharn
Harry Cording	Actor
Ben Hall	Actor
Herbert Heywood	Actor
Frank O'Connor	Actor
Dick Rich	Actor
Robert Shaw	Gas Station Attendant
Lee Shumway	Actor
David Hilary Hughes	Frank
Gaylord Pendleton	Attendant
Alfred Newman	Composer

Technical Credits

Nunnally Johnson

John Ford	Director
Nunnally Johnson	Screenwriter
Darryl F. Zanuck	Producer
E.H. Hansen	Sound/Sound Designer,Sound Effects
Roger Heman	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
George Leverett	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
Harry Kornfield	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath is arguably the director's greatest movie, and the rare Hollywood film superior to its literary source (a view shared by the novel's author, John Steinbeck). Indeed, it is the movie that sums up the impact of the Great Depression, at least on rural America, better than any other film of its time (and there were hundreds that tried, by everyone from Frank Capra to Preston Sturges). From the opening shot of Tom Joad's return to the ruined land where he grew up, the movie is a study of people whose dreams and hopes wither away like the drought-stricken crops. Yet Ford managed to make a movie that wasn't utterly pessimistic, despite its story and setting: the performers and script availed him of indomitable characters, convincingly portrayed, with the result that even the most cynical viewers were persuaded of Ford's artistic vision. Henry Fonda, who'd been an up-and-coming leading man, solidified his image as an upright hero with an almost mystical bent in his portrayal of Tom Joad; Jane Darwell became the archetypal rural matriarch; and even the bit players, such as Ward Bond and Grant Mitchell, got relatively rare opportunities to play against their usual types as beneficent characters. The movie became a strange case of fiction transcending fact, as Ford's images (photographed by the great cinematographer Gregg Toland) became more representative of the period than most documentary photography. Countless filmmakers have quoted from The Grapes of Wrath (there's a very funny audio-visual reference in Close Encounters of the Third Kind), and Ford himself never made a more compelling social statement despite several attempts (The Sun Shines Bright, Sergeant Rutledge, and others) over the next 20 years.