Spoiler Alert
Similarly to Ulysses and the Color
Purple, I have read the Grapes of Wrath and so I was curious as to what the
movie adaptation was like.
What’s it about? The Grapes
of Wrath has a very a simple narrative.
Set during the American 1930’s Great Depression, the Joad family leave
their home in Oklahoma, after the bank forecloses their land and they travel to
California in the hopes of work and a better life. The family is led by the eldest son Tom Joad
who has recently been paroled from prison.
The Good: Whilst I
don’t particularly remember the book that well, there were a couple of scenes
that stood out to me. Firstly, there is
Grandfather Joad who is desperate not to leave his home and travel to California
with the rest of his family. The only
way they can get him to leave is by getting him drunk and he dies soon into the
journey. This has a knock-on effect for
his wife who dies shortly afterwards.
Secondly, a neighbouring family, the Mulens, are told that there land will be foreclosed and looking for someone to blame, they threatened to shoot their banker and then his manager and then the board of directors and so and so forth. Both of these scenes were portrayed well in the film and are extremely powerful. They demonstrated the sheer fear, panic and desperation that the Great Depression brought on. Also, even though the Joad family is large in twelve characters, I felt that I knew them all well and I wasn’t confused about which member was which. Each of them had their own little characteristics that distinguished them from each other.
Secondly, a neighbouring family, the Mulens, are told that there land will be foreclosed and looking for someone to blame, they threatened to shoot their banker and then his manager and then the board of directors and so and so forth. Both of these scenes were portrayed well in the film and are extremely powerful. They demonstrated the sheer fear, panic and desperation that the Great Depression brought on. Also, even though the Joad family is large in twelve characters, I felt that I knew them all well and I wasn’t confused about which member was which. Each of them had their own little characteristics that distinguished them from each other.
The Bad: Similarly,
to the book, I wasn’t fully engrossed throughout the film and I did lose
interest from time to time. For example,
when the family reached California and enter a labour camp, I got a little
bored, but the reintroduction of the preacher character Jim Casey remedied
this.
The Ugly: Grandpa
Joad’s reluctance to leave his home was a very powerful reminder of the importance
of home to some people. It was very emotional
watching his impassioned pleas to stay.
Rating: Awesome
Originally, I was going to rate the
film ‘good,’ but in reviewing it, I don’t think the film had enough bad points
to truly warrant that. Granted, it might
not have been 100% interesting, but it was a powerful portrayl of people’s
loyalty to their homes and families. Tom
Joad might have been a rebel, but he
certainly had a cause.
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