THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940) - ♦♦♦♦♦

Directed by - John Ford

Written by - Nunnally Jones (based on a novel by John Steinbeck)

Starring - Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, Dorris Bowdon, Russell Simpson, O.Z. Whitehead, John Qualen, Eddie Quillan, Zeffie Tilbury

"The dramatic tale of an Oklahoma family that has to emigrate from their farmhouse which was stricken by drought and find themselves in a seemingly irreversible condition of poverty. Henry Fonda, in his debut, probably puts on his most haunting and compelling performance as a man just out of prison after a brief sentence for manslaughter, and arrives to find the most impossible situation. John Ford’s film is a hauntingly vivid vision of poverty and hopelessness but the unity of a family to find strength in difficult situations. At a time when Hollywood often dished always fewer films with a social weight and importance as this one, The Grapes of Wrath really stands out as a genuine and rare portrayal of difficult situations the kind that neo realists did in Italy. Gregg Toland’s photography is stunning as usual."

Drama, USA