The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
(John Ford, US 1940, 129 min., 35mm)
A confluence of talents all contributing some of their finest work makes The Grapes of Wrath one of the greatest epics in American cinema: the novel by John Steinbeck, the direction of John Ford, the acting of Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, and John Carradine, and the black-and-white mastery of cinematographer Gregg Toland, The Depression drives Tom Joad (Fonda) and his family from the Dust Bowl to California in search of work and dignity. Ford’s version of Steinbeck’s novel was a tough pill for Hollywood in 1940, and one that Steinbeck himself claimed was more devastating than the book. The film received seven Academy Award nominations, winning for Ford's direction and Darwell's supporting performance as Ma Joad. Given the pressures on American farmers today, this movie is as relevant as it was just after the Great Depression.