The Grapes of Wrath (1940) - Ford's Steinbeck adaptation is a cinematic crown jewel

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Henry Fonda centered in the Joad family on this grand poster for John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath

Tom Joad gets released from prison and finds his Oklahoma family home dramatically altered: Dust storms and the 1930s Depression has, along with the invention of the motorized tractor, made necessary the uprooting of the Joad family. - To a hopefully lighter future in California?

The Grapes of Wrath is written and produced by Nunnally Johnson (Baby Face Harrington (1935)), based on the same-titled 1939 novel by John Steinbeck (Sweet Thursday (1954)), and directed by Mainer master filmmaker John Ford (Cameo Kirby (1923)), whose 47th feature it was.

It is a thoroughly well-made, razor sharp adaptation, which hasn't softened the political (Socialist) sting of Steinbeck's novel: Company owners are brutal and solely oriented towards profits, while qualities such as morality, kindness and community are found in governmental programs and among workers.

Although one possibly isn't oriented towards the left, the film is still formidable. Every one in the cast give luminous performances, seemingly aware that they are acting in something very special. Henry Fonda (Battle of the Bulge (1965)), Jane Darwell (A Yank in London (1945)) as Ma Joad and Charley Grapewin (Eight Bells (1935)) as Grandpa Joad as well as the children are eminent. The scene at the gas station may well be among the most touching in the history of cinema.

The Grapes of Wrath is an extremely engrossing film, very wise on the nature of man.

 

Related post:

 

John Ford: Fort Apache (1948) - Wayne and Fonda clash in Ford's solid western of a massacre of Indians

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 800k $

Box office: 1.5 mil. $ (North-American rentals alone)

= Uncertain, but most likely at least a box office success

[The Grapes of Wrath premiered 24 January (New York) and runs 129 minutes. Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel was the bestselling in America in 1939. Shooting took place in New Mexico, Arizona, California, including Los Angeles, and in Oklahoma from October - November 1939. Executive producer Darryl F. Zanuck sent an investigative team to Oklahoma to inspect whether the general Depression conditions were or had been as bad as the novel said and in order to be able to counter any attacks that the film was 'pro-Communist'. The investigation showed that they indeed were terrible. The only gross number available is regrettably a 1.5 mil. $ North-American gross. Still the film was most likely a box office success, in spite of the onslaught of WWII. It was nominated for 7 Oscars, winning 2: For Best Supporting Actress (Darwell) and Director. It lost Best Actor (Fonda) to James Stewart in The Philadelphia Story, Editing to North West Mounted Police, Best Picture to Rebecca, Sound to Strike Up the Band and Screenplay to David Ogden Stewart for The Philadelphia Story. It also won 3 National Board of Review awards, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Ford returned with The Long Voyage Home (1940). Fonda returned in Lillian Russell (1940). The Grapes of Wrath is certified fresh at 100 % with a 9.00/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Grapes of Wrath?

Fort Apache (1948) - Wayne and Fonda clash in Ford's solid western of a massacre of Indians

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Cowboys and Indians in battle and fresh-faced romance is promised on this colorful poster for John Ford's Fort Apache

After the American Civil War, Lieutenant Colonel Thursday, an ambitious and arrogant war-time general, leads his regiment to a massacre of Apache Indians, to the chagrin of Captain York, who has experience with the Indians.

Fort Apache is written by Frank S. Nugent (The Searchers (1956)), based on the short story Massacre (1947) by James Warner Bellah (The Sons of Cain (1928)), and directed by Mainer master filmmaker John Ford (Mogambo (1953)). It is a long but intriguing film starring a gruff Henry Fonda (There Was a Crooked Man... (1970)) as Thursday and an exquisitely diplomatic John Wayne (Jet Pilot (1957)) as York, among other great actors.
Drunken soldiers seem to have infiltrated a good part of Fort Apache. It has a good story and dialog and gives an interesting look into the traditional lifestyle and events of a part of American history.

Watch TCM's Ben Mankiewicz's intro and outro for the film here

Cost: 2.1 mil. $
Box office: 3 mil. $ (North American rentals only)
= Uncertain (but likely at a box office success)
[Fort Apache premiered 27 March (Arizona) and runs 125 minutes. It is the first film in what would become known as Ford's Cavalry Trilogy, which also contains She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) and Rio Grande (1950). The historical sources for Bellah's story were George Armstrong Custer's Battle of Little Big Horn and the Fetterman Fight, a 1866 event in which 81 US soldiers were killed in an Indian ambush. Fonda, Wayne and Shirley Temple were reportedly each paid 100k $ for their performances, while Victor McLaglen got 75k $. Shooting took place in Utah, Arizona and California from July - October 1947. It is not possible to know the film's real theatrical status without its international box office receipts known, but since American westerns were popular, not least in Europe, at the time, it is likely that Fort Apache was at least a box office success. It enjoyed a reported profit of 445k $, which is in line with this assumption. It is also notable for being among the first major US westerns to show a sympathetic view of the Native Americans. Ford returned with 3 Godfathers (1948). Fonda's career was in a slump, and he returned as an uncredited nightclub waiter in Jigsaw (1949), while Wayne returned in grand style in Red River (1948). Fort Apache is fresh at 100 % with an 8.5 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Fort Apache?