The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

This is a magnificent adaptation of Steinbeck's novel, with heart-rending scenes and lasting power in the migrants' fate, though it substitutes corny religious symbolism for the novel's raw politics. It is beautifully photographed by Gregg Toland, with standout performances including Jane Darwell as Ma Joad.

The critic calls it John Ford's best non-Western and possibly his best film overall. Praise goes to Henry Fonda's performance as Tom Joad and Gregg Toland's cinematography capturing the American landscape, alongside Ford's sympathetic take on workers' rights.

The critic hails the film as an epic of starvation sustained with majesty that never falters, crediting John Ford’s swift pacing and fresh handling of familiar material. It singles out the script’s success, the landscape’s grandeur, and the ensemble performances for praise.

The review deems the film a flawless screen edition of Steinbeck’s novel that follows the book closely yet intelligently, with uniformly excellent and suitable performances. It praises the direction, adaptation, and overall execution as adding the picture to the shelf of screen classics.

The review calls the picture an absorbing, tense melodrama that is starkly realistic and loaded with social and political fireworks, crediting Ford’s courage and skill. It praises the casting (especially Fonda, Darwell, and Carradine) and the convincing treatment of the American social problem.

The piece examines how the 1940 John Ford film captured the essence of the Great Depression and shocked audiences with its portrayal of exploitation and hardship faced by the Joad family. It highlights the film's enduring relevance to themes of economic injustice and migration.

Ford's adaptation captures the stark plainness of the migrants' journey and struggles during the Depression. The film is shot by Gregg Toland with magnificent, lyrical simplicity.

The critic finds Ford's adaptation a major achievement despite some dated lapses and softening of the novel's politics, praising its vivid depiction of Depression-era poverty and masterful direction contrasting with Toland's lighting. He singles out the performances of Fonda and Darwell and powerful scenes for their emotional impact.

The critic praises the film's authentic depiction of the Okies' suffering and the excellent casting and acting, particularly noting John Ford's recognition of visual opportunities in the dust-bowl and journey sequences. It criticizes the jerky rhythm and occasional stiffness of dialogue compared to Stagecoach, but overall recommends the film as essential viewing.

Ebert calls the film a left-wing parable about a sharecropper’s son converted into a union organizer, told through sympathetic characters and images of beauty that evoke pity rather than anger. He singles out Henry Fonda’s Tom Joad, Jane Darwell’s Ma Joad, Gregg Toland’s low-light cinematography, and John Ford’s rigorous visual style for particular praise.

The piece hails the film as Ford’s Oscar-winning monumental work, an almost indecently beautiful yet realist picture that serves as the definitive cinematic take on America’s Great Depression, praising Henry Fonda’s nuanced performance and the breadth of its ambition despite some speechifying.

The critic finds the film watchable and highly effective despite its age, praising its engaging portrayal of the Great Depression era and the human spirit, though noting it is more optimistic than the source novel. They single out Gregg Toland's cinematography and John Ford's direction for bringing the landscapes and family dynamics to life.