A Film for All Time

Yes, I saw this back in February, when the Museum of the Moving Image presented its Ford on Fox series. Yes, I meant to do a review then. Yes, I should write reviews within 48 hours of seeing something. This took much too long to put together, and it's only 250 words. However, I think it's a fantastic film, a deserved classic. See it.

One of the most determined performances in film history - Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, the moral center of The Grapes of Wrath - did not win the 1940 Best Actor Oscar. Nor did Wrath receive Best Picture. (The Actor winner was no slouch: Fonda’s roommate, Jimmy Stewart, for The Philadelphia Story. I’d dispute the merits of Rebecca over Wrath.)

Wrath, which adapts John Steinbeck’s 1939 novel, has much to recommend, from its portrayal of Dust Bowl life to its social statements. Today, two elements particularly stand out: John Ford’s Oscar-winning direction and, of course, Fonda’s acting.

Ford and cinematographer Gregg Toland give Wrath a documentary feel, using grainy landscape and untrained actors. Each transient camp looks more depressing than the last, each day without food leaves the actors more gaunt. Ford employs shadows to heighten mood; horizons appear especially foreboding. Steinbeck said Ford’s techniques made poverty even harsher on screen than in the book.

Fonda, through Tom, shows how the common man can respond to social injustice. At first, Tom must suppress his feelings, so when the death of preacher friend Casy leads to greater outspokenness, we really sense the drive for a better life. Ford’s final image of Tom depicts the now-fugitive as a tiny figure against sweeping terrain. He’s climbing. We never lose him.

Wrath’s stark depictions of labor and the Depression make it a classic. Much of the praise deservedly goes to Ford, but it’s Fonda’s commitment and passion that imprint Tom Joad on many movie memories.