Rating: 
Summary: An American Classic
Review: This is a great movie based on a great novel, and I am surprised by how honestly the film captures the raw humanity of the book. Steinbeck weaved social commentary into the story, and the movie makes many points about the human condition and spirit without being heavy-handed. The story of the Joads and their fight for survival rings very true, thanks to the realistic performances and the atmosphere created by director John Ford. Henry Fonda gives one of the best performances I have ever seen him give, and his "I'll be there" speech is one of the great movie moments. Jane Darwell is also very impressive, and her direct, down-to-earth style of acting makes the quiet strength and the suffering of Ma Joad seem very real. The Grapes of Wrath is an American classic, both as a novel and as a film.
Rating:
Summary: An astounding film, especially for its time.
Review: This 1940 classic is a film that was remarkable for its time and still packs a punch today. It is a movie that contains a very complex political message within a very simple story of simple people. It takes a very basic story of a family moving to California during the depression and turns it into a powerful, enthralling and heartfelt film about people, politics and the way the world works. It is an excellent adaptation of John Steinbeck's classic novel, which even Steinbeck himself declared to be a powerful thing on its own.The film centers around the main character of Tom Joad who is played brilliantly by Henry Fonda. Tom has just gotten out of prison only to find that his family and all of the other families in the area have been kicked off their farms by the banks. Most of these families decide to head to California in search of work that has been promised to them by pamphlets and brochures. Tom's family decides to do the same and the rest of the movie is about the hardships these people come across on the way to and in California. It is a well-known story that is loved by many people but the true core of the story is the political message within. It is a very leftist film and the message of the verge of communist or "red" but it was at the time a very real and much needed idealism. The message is mainly presented through the character of the Preacher or Casy but by the end it is Tom himself who is spreading the word of unions and fair work. The directing is fantastic and who would expect anything less from John Ford who is considered by most to be one of the, if not the greatest director from the days of old Hollywood. This is one of the films that proves this statement and is bested only by "The Searchers" in my opinion. The skill in which Ford frames his shots is incredible and quite unheard of for the time. He uses techniques and shooting styles that would have been more common in the Seventies up until now but here's John Ford using them in 1940. The lighting is one of the best parts of the film and Ford uses every available chance to use natural lighting usually at the hand of a candle or match and the results are astounding. The film has a feeling and a huge amount of style to it. It is truly a work of art. I think Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine put it best when he said, "In the film, Joad butts heads with the behemoth of capitalism and realizes he can find redemption only through struggle. It really spells out the capitalist system's indifference to humanity. I'm shocked the movie even got made in the U.S.". I would agree with this statement and go even further to say that it was amazing that this film was not only made in the U.S. but in 1940. This is a time when the more "red" way of thinking was not as accepted as it has been for the last thirty years or so. Steinbeck's book is amazing and the movie is a powerful adaptation that is fit for any fan of great movies, particularly fans of films that have a social message to deliver. If you have not seen it I whole heartily suggest that you do. Thanxs...
Rating:
Summary: a great film!!!!!!!!
Review: This is a great movie,but viewers should resist the temptation to compare it to the book.This movie should be judged on its own merits,especially the performances by the actors.
Rating: 
Summary: SOMEWHAT DISAPPOINTING EFFORT FROM FOX!
Review: "The Grapes of Wrath" is an inspired, harsh and critical retake on the Great Depression and its human fall out. While other studios were producing ultra high glamour and star driven vehicles, Darryl F. Zanuck chose to turn his spotlight on the crisis of the country and came up with an all time box office winner. It stars Henry Fonda as the forgotten man of conscience who is forced to leave his homestead in search of a hopefully better life that, sadly, is not to be. Jane Darwell is brilliant as Ma Joad, the defiant, resilient and compelling matriarch who keeps the family together through these tough times. Dark was the world of the 1930s in reality, but never was it more magically brought to life than in this inspirational film of hope, courage and the dream of prosperity that must have seemed so far out of reach at the time of the film's general release.
TRANSFER: Previous versions of this film have looked as though they were caught in their own dust bowl. This DVD managed to recapture much of the lost visual style absent in earlier versions. Greg Tolland's evocative camera work is magnificently captured. Black levels are deep. The gray scale, for the most part is well balanced and captures the stark harshness of the original presentation. There are a host of age related artifacts present throughout but these have at least been tempered and do not terribly distract. There is some shimmering of fine details and more than a hint of pixelization in this transfer. Nevertheless, the image quality is an improvement over previous incarnations. Somehow it almost seems to add to the vintage of subject matter of this film. The audio is remixed to 5.1 but really - this is a mono film with very little spread or reason for it across your other channels.
EXTRAS: A biography on Darryl F. Zanuck, audio commentaries, restoration comparison and theatrical trailer. One should expect no less!
BOTTOM LINE: "The Grapes of Wrath" is an enduring tale of enduring souls caught in the uncertainty of their times. But there's no uncertainty about my recommendation of this disc. An absolute must!
Rating:
Summary: Working Class Triumph
Review: A great cast creates this haunting classic. Justly rated as one of the top 100 films of all time the movie tells the story of the Joad family. Dust-bowl era Oklahoma farmers venturing to California to start over. The film opens with Henry Fonda returning home from prison to find that things have underwent serious change. The dust-bowl and subsequent crop failures are forcing the farmers off their land, including his family. Fonda is rightly remembered for his "I'll be there" speech near the conclusion but one of the true stars is Jane Darwell as the caring and yet strong as steel mother that shepards the family through each crisis. John Carradine is also memorable as the spooky ex-preacher who stumbles his way into political activism. The film has lost nothing in the 60 years since it was produced. Important and entertaining viewing for a whole family.
Rating:
Summary: ...loaded with extras
Review: An unbelievably brilliant film. To me, this and THE OX-BOW INCIDENT are my two favorite Henry Fonda films... I'm also really big on FAIL-SAFE and ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST... but we're talking about GRAPES OF WRATH... Tom Joad - one of the great all time characters ever brought to life on cinema screens. This disc is loaded with extras. There's commentary by scholars, Movietone news about the droughts of the Great Depression, there's FDR acknowledging it, just extra after extra... truly treating the film as the jewel it so obviously is. Along with THE SEARCHERS and THREE GODFATHERS - its my fave John Ford flick. Just great. If you don't get chills during the end monologue, then you've never lived a day in your life. Brilliant!
Rating: 
Summary: The Wrath of Grapes
Review: I could not understand this movie. No starships, no capt kirk, no klingons, just old people in an old movie. By the way, there are NO GRAPES in this movie!!!!!! Now 'Wrath of KaHn', THAT WAS A MOVIE!!!! Still, I liked the part where there wuz some drinkin.....and that is my ekspert opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Baby Boomers!!!!!
Review: We were told about this, from our Grandparents & Parents. This is a VERY GOOD MOVIE to watch ,especially with the young generation. They have NO IDEA as to what really went on at that time.
Rating:
Summary: Poverty, social injustice, and freedom in the focus...
Review: After a four year stint in jail for a self-defense murder, Tom Joad (Herny Fonda) returns home to find his family being ousted from their home. The Joad's have decided to venture to California based on a flyer that promises a job for good pay in order to find a better way of life. On the trip the family faces countless hardships, which seems to continue as they arrive in the the promise land of California. Tom witnesses how his family and many others are being taken advantage of and how people are being considered "good-for-nothing people". Despite these adversities the Joads keep on struggling and hoping for something better to turn up. Grapes of Wrath is based on John Steinbeck's novel with the same name which sends a powerful socioeconomic message about poverty, social injustice, and freedom where the dollar seems to guide all. It also conveys a strong notion of hope, family, and determination, which can be the source of a better life. The story's messages are equally important today as they were in 1940, and Ford does a brilliant job in depicting these issues on the silver screen. Grapes of Wrath is an exceptional film that leaves the audience with a brilliant cinematic experience that will resound throughout the viewers lives as they will face these issues repeatedly.
Rating: 
Summary: A big yawn. Another overrated "classic".
Review: For years I heard what a magnificent film THE GRAPES OF WRATH was. Perhaps the build-up was too much, and I expected a masterpiece. It isn't. Fonda and Jane Darwell give good performances, but the film feels wooden and dull most of the time. Fox's presentation also leaves something to be desired. The print is not up to the kind of restoration a film with this reputation would seem to warrant. Further, the extras are pitiful for what is supposed to be a "special edition". A particularly banal and recycled A&E biography is supposed to be the highlight. The "expert" commentary is by a film historian who gets his facts wrong. (In discussing Henry Fonda's lost Oscar to James Stewart, he says that Stewart lost the year before to Clark Gable in GWTW, when in fact Stewart lost to Robert Donat). You'd think an authoritative commentator would do his homework! I'm sorry I wasted my money on this one.
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