Maddie Boyer Quarter 2 Cinematic Analysis: The Grapes of Wrath Part A: The black-and-white film, The Grapes of Wrath

(1940) expresses how achieving the American Dream is often futile. The movie, based on the book by John Steinbeck, explains the living conditions of families in Oklahoma during the Great Depression. The film tells the fictitious story of the Joad family who aspires to travel west once they are stripped from their sharecropping farm in Oklahoma. Tom Joad, convicted for homicide, returns from prison on parole to find his house, along with the rest of the neighborhood, vacant. His family, Tom discovers, sought refuge in his uncles house after they were dislodged by the property-owning company. Based on a flyer promising 5,000 jobs as fruit pickers in California, the family uproots itself and all twelve of them head off for the sensational Golden State. The easy task proves to be a challenging feat when the scarce amount of money and food is gradually depleted. Their exciting and expectant journey begins to retrogress as members of the family are killed by the greatest murderers of the 1940s: sickness, horrible conditions, and starvation. Upon arrival at a camp where many other Okies are staying during their journey west, the Oklahoman family hears from a man who has already been to California and returned after failing to acquire a job. It took the death of his wife and children for him to realize that the west wasnt any more prosperous than the east. The discouraged but determined family bounds on. Their hope for a successful and wealthy future is disappearing. When the surviving family members reach a Californian orchard, they stay in a hut. Making five cents per box of picked fruit, they make a total of one dollar per day. Meanwhile, Tom runs into his friend as he uncovers the truth about the big, corrupt companies. The friend, Jim Casey, explains how companies will lower workers wages so low that they cant make enough money to afford one meal a day. If the workers protest, the companies fire them and hire new, able workers who are willing to work for the lower price. Casey admits he is wanted by the cops at the farm for encouraging a closed shop; however, throughout the discussion, the cops come searching

for Casey. Tom and Casey sneaks away but is caught by the police before they can find shelter. Toms friend is immediately killed. Tom, already capable of taking a mans life, murders the killer but is left with a bruise on his face. News quickly spreads that a murderer is on the loose. Tom, brandished with his obvious trademark, is unable to leave the hut without getting caught and decides to escape before he endangers his family further. His mother convinces him to give up on his absurd idea and suggests that the entire family move somewhere else. Their first encounter with the West had been grievingly disappointing but their hope for better doesnt falter. They come across The Farmworkers Wheat Patch Camp, headed by the Department of Agriculture. This camp is the closest thing to the familys home in the entire West. They offer running water, reasonable rent and weekly dances. The camp has their own committeemen and dont allow any outside cops to enter without a warrant; however, cops plan to infiltrate the camp during one of their Saturday dances. They intend to say they are the guests of one of the residents and start a riot. Once a riot has started, the cops have the right to intervene and eventually to close the camp; however, their plan to cause trouble and distress is thwarted when Tom, who knew of their scheme, breaks up the riot before the cops arrive. The cops are denied entry that night but later Tom sees cops checking license plates to see if any fugitives are staying in the camp site. Knowing hes no longer safe hiding out here, he decides to relieve his family from his wrongdoings and to leave. He hopes, at some point in the future, to be able to stop the madness and mistreatment of mankind and to finally create a genuine American Dream for the next generation. The movie ends with the family squeezing into the cramped vehicle once more as they set off to land in Fresno where twenty job positions are offered. Other families leave the camp for these jobs with the knowledge that there might not be any left once they arrive or that the wages might drop. Even with this bleak and hopeless knowledge, the family continues on to their next destination.

Part B: The film, The Grapes of Wrath (1940), takes place during the Great Depression (1930s-1940s) in the dry state of Oklahoma. One of the many factors that led to the Great Depression was the great winds and dry weather, causing crop failure. At the time, Oklahomas economy, along with many others, was reliant on the success of agriculture. As the amount of crops throughout the country rapidly declined, the economy worsened. The Manifest Destiny, the idea that it is the duty of all Americans to travel west and expand, contributed to the swarms of people scrambling west. This journey was later dubbed the Dust Bowl Migration due to the dust storms that would destroy the soil of states such as Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma. An American who lived through the Dust Bowl Migration noticed more and more whites looking for harvest labor jobs, many of them travelling as families, a lot of them with license plates from Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas. (The Dust Bowl Migration) Of the thousands of migrants who travelled to California, most were from the poor, rural South and East. Unfortunately, California companies claimed to offer too many employment opportunities and could simply not withstand the stampede of migrants. The economy of California was already overburdened and the steady stream of newly arriving migrants was more than the system could bear... Those who did cross over into California found that the available labor pool was vastly disproportionate to the number of job openings that could be filled. (The Migrant Experience) The film accurately depicted the lack of suitable occupations and unfortunate situations of migrants in America during the Great Depression. The film featured the memorable Route 66 as a means of passage for most migrants as well as including the unaccommodating ditchbank camps set up near farms as a place for workers to sleep. Though the film overall is rather precise, others argue that the movie exaggerated the effect that wind had on Oklahoma. Historian James N. Gregory confirmed that dust storms in the Thirties affected very little of the farming land of Oklahoma. (Steinbecks Myth of the Okies) This would contradict the great amount of wind portrayed in the movie. Another falsity was revealed with the statement: most of the migrants who did leave Oklahoma in the Depression were not farmers.

Most came from cities and towns. (Steinbecks Myth of the Okies) Director John Ford released the film at a very meaningful time, amidst the Great Depression when people were continuing to migrate west. This pertinent movie was meant to convince those who were still considering migration to do otherwise.

Part C: Discuss how various cinematographic techniques are used to increase the viewers awareness of the setting, characters or plot development. The film, The Grapes of Wrath, is greatly attributed for its wonderful cinematography claiming it enhances the performance and establishes aspects of the movie. The black-and-white film not only accurately represents the time period but it also effectively sets the tone for the somber movie. The cinematographer of the film, Gregg Toland, was known for his ability to adequately portray the mood of the varying scenes of the movie. Toland uses different light coherence to develop characters. Muley Graves is depicted as a somewhat mad and deranged man through the effects of Gregg Tolands lighting. He uses hard light to create the great contrast in the lighting of Graves face, inducing mystery and fear in the viewers. Tom Joad, on the other hand, is almost always lighted with soft light to show his overall politeness and courteousness. Soft light is also used to make a scene appear more natural and less like a part of a movie.

Works Cited Fanslow, Robin A. "The Migrant Experience." Library of Congress: American Memory. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tsme.html>. Gregory, James N. "The Dust Bowl Migration: Poverty Stories, Race Stories." The Dust Bowl Migration. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. <http://faculty.washington.edu/gregoryj/dust%20bowl%20migration.htm>. Mullins, William H. "Great Depression." Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Ed. Oklahoma Historical Society. Electronic Publishing Center, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. <http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/G/GR014.html>. Thompson, Carolyn. "Images of the Great Depression." SlideShare. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://www.slideshare.net/ccsark/images-of-the-great-depression-presentation776405#btnNext>. Windschuttle, Keith. "Steinbeck's Myth of the Okies." Free Republic. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. <http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/709593/posts>.