Search - The Grapes of Wrath on DVD

Movie Release: 1940 DVD Release: 04/06/2004 Format: DVD - Black and White - Closed Captioned Edition: Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: English, Spanish Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 9 mins Studio: 20th Century Fox Members Wishing: 23 Genres: Drama, Americana, Family Drama, Rural Drama, Social Problem Film See Also: The Grapes of Wrath, The Grapes of Wrath [Cliff Notes Edition]

The adaptation of Nobel Prize-winner John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of dirt-poor Dust Bowl migrants by 4-time Oscar-winning director John Ford starred Henry Fonda as Tom Joad, who opens the movie returning to his Oklahoma home after serving jail time for manslaughter. En route, Tom meets family friend Casey (John Carradine), a former preacher who warns Tom that dust storms, crop failures, and new agricultural methods have financially decimated the once prosperous Oklahoma farmland. Upon returning to his family farm, Tom is greeted by his mother (Oscar-winner Jane Darwell), who tells him that the family is packing up for the "promised land" of California. Warned that they shouldn't expect a warm welcome in California--they've already seen the caravan of dispirited farmers, heading back home after striking out at finding work--the Joads push on all the same. Their first stop is a wretched migrant camp, full of starving children and surrounded by armed guards. Further down the road, the Joads drive into an idyllic government camp, with clean lodging, indoor plumbing, and a self-governing clientele. When Tom ultimately bids goodbye to his mother, who asks him where he'll go, he delivers the film's most famous speech: "I'll be all around...Wherever there's a fight so hungry people can eat...Whenever there's a cop beating a guy, I'll be there...And when the people are eatin' the stuff they raise and livin' in the houses they build. I'll be there too." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Henry Fonda - Tom Joad
Jane Darwell - Ma Joad
John Carradine - Jim Casey
Charles Grapewin - Grandpa Joad
Doris Bowden - Rosasharn

The history of film is rife with classics, but few are so beloved as The Grapes of Wrath, something Fox clearly understands, as is evidenced by this magnificent DVD. One of the supplements (more on those later) is a look at the recent restoration through text and scene comparisons, and the work done is simply marvelous. The full-frame, 1.33:1 transfer is beautiful. Some occasional flicker is easily forgivable, especially when shown what source material was originally available. The image is outstanding, with the darkest of blacks and contrast that creates a haunting impression. Gregg Toland's black-and-white photography is a work of art and is perfectly captured on this disc. Both stereo and mono Dolby Digital audio tracks are offered; while the time period in which the film was made must be taken into account, the audio is perfectly acceptable for this release. In reality, compared to any other home-video format, this may just be the best it has ever sounded. Dialogue is constantly clear and any possible distractions due to time have been reduced so far as to be unnoticeable. As mentioned above, a segment on the restoration is on hand in the extra features, but that is just one of many. On the movie side of the disc, the film can be watched with or without a U.K. text prologue that helps explain the situation in the U.S. during the time period in which the film is set. In addition, a scholarly commentary track with film academic Joseph McBride and John Steinbeck historian Susan Shillinglaw can be heard. While insightful, the average viewer may find it relatively dry. The flip side of the disc holds the majority of the supplements. First up is a full Biography episode from A&E on producer Darryl F. Zanuck and his tumultuous life and career -- one that was filled with enough ups and downs for a dozen people. Archived Movietone News segments are a nice historical feature; three of them report on the sever drought of 1934, another contains outtakes of the government transient camps, and one shows a speech from President Roosevelt to the film industry. Finishing off this fine disc is a standard photo gallery and trailers for other top landmark titles All About Eve, My Darling Clementine, An Affair to Remember, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, all from the "Fox Studio Classics" line. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide