Classic John Steinbeck adaptation is still powerful.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a little
A woman is shot and killed by a police officer. Police club a man to death with a billy club. A man with a rifle threatens to shoot and kill a man on the verge of bulldozing his home. Family members die on the journey.
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Characters smoke cigarettes and pipes and chew tobacco. Early in the movie, two characters pass a bottle of whiskey back and forth and drink from it but do not act intoxicated.
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This movie shows the goodness and decency of the "common man," even if he isn't perfect and even when facing terrible poverty and economic injustice. Themes include integrity and courage.
Positive Role Models
some
Forced off their land in Oklahoma, the Joad family do their best to take care of and love each other as they travel to California to find work, despite tremendous difficulties, dire poverty, and poor odds. Characters demonstrate perseverance, compassion, and humility.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Grapes of Wrath is the classic John Ford-directed adaptation of the classic John Steinbeck novel. There are some brief moments of violence throughout the film: A woman is accidentally shot and killed by a police officer, police and "Okies" do battle with fists and billy clubs, and a man threatens to kill another man with a rifle as he's on the verge of bulldozing his home. Also, as it's a movie from 1940 set during the Great Depression, there is some smoking and tobacco chewing. Overall, for 21st-century families, this film is still an all-important chronicle of a difficult time in American history and raises still-relevant questions about poverty, farm work, and the enormous gaps between the rich and the poor, in this country and throughout the world. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Completely different ending from the novel...and not for the better
I read the book and although Fonda's portrayal is very strong it still feels like it falls short from the devastation that Steinbeck offers in his sweeping work about the Great Depression. John Ford glosses over the strong political critique that Steinbeck clearly outlines in his novel and changes the ending, opting for an upbeat ending in the film. I think this film does a gross disservice to the novel and to the larger message of Steinbeck's work. Strong portrayals, but the sacrifices made for cinema serve Ford's agenda and not the source material.
Good for explaining hardship and economic matters matters.
I watched this movie with my 10 year old cousin, and he was a little puzzled by it, but after I answered his questions, he seemed to get the jist of it. He asked "why are okies so looked down upon" and "what is a red", and "why are they so poor." I answered his questions in the simplest and unbiased way possible, such as his "what is a red" question. I told him that a red is an insulting name for a communist, and explained some of the different forms of government, and there pros and cons. He seemed to get it. Then, he said something that really shocked me. He said "every once in a while I see a truck loaded down with furniture and boxes. Are we in a depression today?" I told him that many of the events that are happening today, are shown in this movie, and that we can all learn something from the past. I think this movie would be great for teaching kids about poor people and some basic government. They may not get it at first, but it will get them thinking and can learn from watching the people around us. Hope this helps, and I recommend it to all who want to watch it!
What's the Story?
The classic John Steinbeck novel THE GRAPES OF WRATH about dust-bowl farmers emigrating from Oklahoma to California became a classic film with Henry Fonda as Tom Joad and Jane Darwell (in an Oscar-winning performance) as his mother. Tom returns home after serving time in prison for manslaughter to find that his sharecropper family has lost the right to farm the land and is leaving to find jobs in California. All twelve of them pile into the truck, including Casey, a former minister. In California, thousands of migrants have arrived. Exploited by the bosses, the workers are too scared to organize and insist on better treatment. The bosses have hired thugs who prevent anyone from objecting to their treatment. Tom kills one, Casey is killed, and Tom kills the assailant. Wanted by the authorities, Tom cannot stay with his family, which has now found a government-sponsored work camp with better conditions. After he leaves, Ma says, "Rich fellers come up. They die. Their kids ain't no good and they die out. But we keep a-comin'. We're the people that live. Can't wipe us out. Can't lick us. We'll go on forever, 'cause we're the people!"
The acting, from Henry Fonda down to the smallest parts, is a truly fantastic achievement that goes far toward making this film as unforgettable today as it was when it came out in 1940. Through John Steinbeck's unforgettable characters and story, director John Ford presents a vision of the American West during the Great Depression, a wide-lensed vision of big skies, vast fields, and a brutal and unforgiving economic climate.
What is especially striking about watching this movie today is how so many of The Grapes of Wrath's themes -- economic disparity, tensions between labor and capital, and the worth and dignity of the "common man" -- still resonate to this day, despite being set during the Great Depression. All in all, the result is a film that cuts to the core of both the obstacles, problems, and, ultimately, redemption for those in pursuit of "the American Dream."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about novels adapted into movies. What would be the challenges of adapting a movie of the size and scope of The Grapes of Wrath?
How does the movie present the difficulties of Oklahoma farm workers trying to create new lives for themselves in California?
If this movie was to be remade now, how do you think it would be different?
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