Review of The Grapes of Wrath (1940) by Anca B — 15 Jun 2009

A spectacular piece of filmmaking that not only captures a period in our history that most would like to forget, but managed to do it as the history was unfolding, and did so honestly and brutally. I can't imagine the effect this had coming out as the Depression was still ongoing, but it's not surprising that the production had to operate under code names and more for fear of reprisals.

Grapes is unabashedly left-wing, but as Ebert says in his Great Movies review, "It's a message movie, but not a recruiting poster." In other words, while there's no escaping the point that the movie is trying to make, it sets the story first, letting the characters, situations, and environments dictate the tale, not the politics.

There are too many unforgettable moments to mention, from the near-riot at the camp to the former preacher's message, but nothing may stick with me in this time of economic unrest like the conversation with the bank agent who explains how little people figure into the process anymore.

And, sure, the movie falls into speeches a couple of times, but it earns those speeches, and they're delivered with such passion and low-key intensity by the stellar cast that they work in spite of themselves.

I'll admit that I was a little reluctant about this going in, but now that I've seen it, consider me a convert; it's an incredible piece of work, and one of the quintessential American movies.