The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
92%RT Audience Score: 88%
Awards & Nominations: Won 2 Oscars
10 wins & 5 nominations total
A potent drama that is as socially important today as when it was made, The Grapes of Wrath is affecting, moving, and deservedly considered an American classic.
The Grapes of Wrath is like a fine wine that only gets better with age. It’s a classic John Steinbeck adaptation that still packs a powerful punch today. Sure, it may be a tough watch for those who prefer small wins and special effects, but it captures the shiver of panic that grips anyone for whom the money for the next meal is unknown. Plus, with Henry Fonda’s meticulous performance and Gregg Toland’s sun-beaten photography, it’s a stunning book turned heartfelt film that deserves to be remembered and revered.
Production Company(ies)
Wiedemann & Berg Filmproduktion, Bayerischer Rundfunk ARTE
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Santa Rosa, New Mexico, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Passed
Year of Release
1940
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
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Runtime:2h 9m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 15, 1940 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 6, 2004
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Jane Darwell – Ma Joad
John Carradine – Casy
Charley Grapewin – Grandpa
Dorris Bowdon – Rosasharn
Russell Simpson – Pa Joad
Director(s)
John Ford
Writer(s)
Nunnally Johnson
Producer(s)
Darryl F. Zanuck
Film Festivals
Berlin
Awards & Nominations
Won 2 Oscars
10 wins & 5 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (48) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (48)
Movies will probably go on improving and broadening themselves; but in any event, The Grapes of Wrath is the most mature picture story that has ever been made, in feeling, in purpose, and in the use of the medium.
August 29, 2012
Otis Ferguson
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
Classic John Steinbeck adaptation is still powerful.
December 28, 2010 | Rating: 5/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
The Grapes of Wrath is flawed, but it captures that shiver of panic that grips anyone for whom the money for the next meal is unknown.
November 22, 2010 | Rating: 4/4
Chuck Bowen
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Ford’s admirers have rightly tended to play this down in favor of his later and more personal westerns, but there’s much to admire here in Gregg Toland’s sun-beaten photography and Henry Fonda’s meticulous performance.
April 27, 2009
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The Grapes of Wrath is possibly the best picture ever made from a so-so book.
April 27, 2009
Whittaker Chambers
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
It is an absorbing, tense melodrama, starkly realistic, and loaded with social and political fireworks.
March 26, 2009
John C. Flinn Sr.
Variety
TOP CRITIC
The Grapes Of Wrath deserves to be remembered and revered because, sadly, it’s as relevant today as it was in 1940.
October 29, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
Matt Neal
ABC Radio (Australia)
A stunning book. A heartfelt film.
September 9, 2020 | Rating: 4.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
With little action, no special effects, and plenty of straightforward dramatic suffering, it’s a tough watch for anyone accustomed to storytelling full of small wins.
August 5, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
The Grapes of Wrath narrates with feeling a melodrama turned into a graphic and resounding document. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 27, 2019
Diego Galán
El Pais (Spain)
Despite its age, The Grapes Of Wrath remains watchable throughout and is a highly effective piece of cinema
January 26, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Jennie Kermode
Eye for Film
The Grapes of Wrath is, in fact, the greatest master- piece the screen has ever produced; in it John Ford has established in vivid and inescapable terms the knowledge of good and evil.
November 3, 2015
Basil Wright
The Spectator…
Plot
The Joad clan, introduced to the world in John Steinbeck’s iconic novel, is looking for a better life in California. After their drought-ridden farm is seized by the bank, the family
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Henry Fonda plays the lead role of Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath.
John-Ford.jpg
