The Grapes of Wrath on DVD |
Prior to the late-1950s rediscovery of Citizen Kane
(also the work of cinematographer John Toland), The Grapes of Wrath was regularly
short-listed as the best American film ever made. It appears in the No.6 slot on the
AFI’s "100 Greatest American Movies" list, but I suspect that this DVD will
elevate it in most people’s opinions. It may not be the best American film ever, but
it’s darn near it.
Much of that is due to the fabulously direct performances
of Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell as Tom and Ma Joad. Darwell won an Academy Award for her
performance, but Fonda’s deeply unspectacular portrayal of Tom Joad resonates even
more.
Fonda portrays Joad simply and directly, but imbues him
with an awakening decency and directness that transform him from a symbol of "the
little man" into a man anyone would want to be. We first encounter him on his way
home from prison, where he has served time for murder. ("We was drunk. He got a knife
in me and I laid him out with a shovel.") By the end of the film he has killed again,
this time defending a friend and a dream.
In a sense, The Grapes of Wrath is the tale of
Joad’s journey from one killing to another -- of his awakening to things worth caring
about, people worth defending, ideas worth dying for. It is Fonda’s greatest victory
that he never let that story become a parable for big ideas (which it obviously was),
but kept it simple and personal.
So did John Ford, a director who would seem a strange
choice for a movie with such a socialist message. But Ford specialized in telling the tale
of America’s expansion across the continent, and the Dustbowl migration to California
is one of that story’s final chapters -- one that seems even more timely in the 21st
century, as small farms are displaced by agribusinesses at an alarming rate.
Even more important, Ford had a workman’s disregard
for cant. He liked good stories, strong characters, unfussy storytelling -- all strengths
that work to support The Grapes of Wrath. The early scenes of the Joad farm in
Oklahoma are shot on a studio set and look it, but as soon as the Joads hit the road, the
action is shot on location.
This is where John Toland’s phenomenal ability makes
itself manifest. Many of the scenes were filmed at night in conditions of incredibly low
light, yet the movie is a model of clarity and chiaroscuro beauty. Toland also captured
the tawdry beauty of Route 66 as it cuts through New Mexico and Arizona, but his focus is
always on the characters and their place in this world. Some of Toland’s shots of the
faces of Tom, Ma, and the preacher rival Caravaggio in their intimacy and detail.
It has become popular these days to dismiss The Grapes
of Wrath, both novel and film, as "propaganda." But both, I think, are ripe
for rediscovery. John Steinbeck was capable of writing some real clinkers -- some of the
dialogue in the film veers awfully close to sermonizing -- but The Grapes of Wrath
is a powerful story told simply and directly. It has the power of truth -- not personal
truth, perhaps, but both novel and film draw strength from how carefully their creators
observed what was going on around them. And, as with all great art, you feel richer --
better -- for having encountered it.
The DVD’s telecine transfer is as good as can be
expected. The camera negative has not survived; Fox used the two best prints available to
strike this copy. The blacks are perhaps too deep to show a lot of detail, but
Toland’s photography looks pretty darn good overall. Sharp-eyed observers may be
aware of some strobing effects, but these, too, are kept mostly under control. The sound
is two-channel mono, which was quite good, and 2.0 stereo, which was a bit bright for my
tastes.
Side 1 of the two-sided disc contains the film and an
impressive audio commentary with film scholar Joseph McBride and Steinbeck specialist
Susan Shillinglaw. Their give and take may be slow going for folks used to the snappy
patter of most directors’ commentaries, but I found it fascinating. Side 1 also
features the film’s Prologue, added for British audiences, as well as 32 scene
selections.
Side 2 features a documentary, Darryl F. Zanuck: 20th
Century Filmmaker, originally shown on A&E’s Biography. There’s also my
favorite extra from the Fox Studio Classics series: Movietone News reels. A restoration
comparison, stills gallery, theatrical trailer, and five trailers for other Studio
Classics DVDs complete the package.
A great wrong has been set right, and a great film can now
join the others in your video library. Let it -- you’ll be glad you did.
...Wes Phillips
wes@onhometheater.com
