The Grapes of Wrath (1940) | |
| Director(s) | John Ford |
| Producer(s) | Nunnally Johnson (associate), Darryl F. Zanuck |
| Top Genres | Drama, Film Adaptation |
| Top Topics | Book-Based, Poverty, Great Depression |
Featured Cast:
The Grapes of Wrath Overview:
The Grapes of Wrath (1940) was a Drama - Black-and-white Film directed by John Ford and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and Nunnally Johnson.
The film was based on the novel of the same name written by John Steinbeck published in 1939.
The Grapes of Wrath was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1989.
Academy Awards 1940 --- Ceremony Number 13 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Actor | Henry Fonda | Nominated |
| Best Supporting Actress | Jane Darwell | Won |
| Best Director | John Ford | Won |
| Best Film Editing | Robert Simpson | Nominated |
| Best Picture | 20th Century-Fox | Nominated |
| Best Writing | Nunnally Johnson | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
The Grapes of Wrath (1940) – Updated
By 4 Star Film Fan on Dec 7, 2015 From 4 Star FilmsThe Grapes of Wrath is in special company with a number of literary adaptations where film and source material are both so highly regarded and cultural significant. A few other names spring to mind such as Gone with the Wind, A Streetcar Named Desire, and To Kill a Mockingbird. However, even more so... Read full article
Review: The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
By 4 Star Film Fan on Dec 7, 2015 From 4 Star FilmsThe Grapes of Wrath is in special company with a number of literary adaptations where film and source material are both so highly regarded and cultural significant. A few other names spring to mind such as Gone with the Wind, A Streetcar Named Desire, and To Kill a Mockingbird. However, even more so... Read full article
Review: The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
By 4 Star Film Fan on Dec 7, 2015 From 4 Star FilmsThe Grapes of Wrath is in special company with a number of literary adaptations where film and source material are both so highly regarded and culturally significant. A few other names spring to mind such as Gone with the Wind, A Streetcar Named Desire, and To Kill a Mockingbird. However, even more ... Read full article
The Joad's Journey in The Grapes of Wrath
By Amanda Garrett on Oct 19, 2015 From Old Hollywood FilmsToday, I'm writing about the Joad's journey from Oklahoma to California in The Grapes of Wrath (1940). This production still shows Dorris Bowdon (left), Jane Darwell, and Henry Fonda packed into the front seat of the family's Hudson Super Six Sedan. This article is part of the Classic Movie Blog ... Read full article
The Grapes of Wrath (1940, John Ford)
By Andrew Wickliffe on Jun 26, 2015 From The Stop ButtonThe Grapes of Wrath starts in a darkened neverland. Director Ford and cinematographer Gregg Toland create a realer than real Oklahoma for protagonist Henry Fonda to journey across. The locations and sets aren’t as important as how Fonda (and the audience) experience it. It’s actually rat... Read full article
See all The Grapes of Wrath articles
Quotes from
Grandpa Joad: It's my dirt! Eh-heh! No good, but it's - it's mine, all mine.
[the family is leaving the farm, heading for California]
Al Joad: Ain't you gonna look back, Ma? Give the ol' place a last look?
Ma Joad: We're going' to California, ain't we? All right then let's go to California.
Al Joad: That don't sound like you, Ma. You never was like that before.
Ma Joad: I never had my house pushed over before. Never had my family stuck out on the road. Never had to lose everything I had in life.
read more quotes from The Grapes of Wrath...
Facts about
Although the script conformed to the provisions of the Production Code, a number of potential "problems" had to be addressed. The list of suggested alterations or eliminations included a warning "not to characterize Muley as insane", the rewording of "certain of the lines which have reference to Rosasharn's pregnancy" (in the book, Tom teases Rosasharn and Connie with the line, "Well, I see you been busy"; in the film this is changed to, "Well, I see I'm gonna be an uncle soon"), the removal of a "toilet gag about Grandma" (early in the family's journey Rosasharn leads her out of a gas-station washroom, explaining, "She went to sleep in there"), the elimination of "specific mention of Tulare County California" and a request not to identify a town as "Pixley" (a town in Tulare County, CA, notorious for its ill treatment of migrant workers). It was also suggested that the film not show "Tom killing the deputy in self-defense".
Darryl F. Zanuck was heavily involved in all aspects of the production, as he saw it as a personal project. In fact, so meticulous and carefully thought-through was his editing of Nunnally Johnson's screenplay that Johnson himself praised Zanuck for his attention to detail.
read more facts about The Grapes of Wrath...
