1. The Grapes of Wrath is a film that examines the trials and tribulations of an American family that is being forced out of their property during the depression era. The powerpoint gives us an insight into how the family is coping with the loss of their land and the struggles of traveling through the country in search of a safe place to work. The emphasis is that family is the most important part in dealing with this situation because no one will leave you behind when the times get too tough. The text also explains that there is a huge inequality between the people who have money and the ones who are trying to barely get by as they use their economic power to put down the ones who are trying to get work.
2. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9802E7D91E3EE23ABC4D51DFB766838B659EDE
This New York Times movie review is a great read to have further insight into how John Ford wanted to portray the despair the family was going through when they were traveling on highway 66. The way John Ford shot the family driving and having the desert reflecting in the windshield of the over packed carriage shows that even if they believe they will be heading toward the promised land of California, that there may not be anything worthwhile to gain when they get there. Throughout the movie, especially towards the end when they finally get a nice place to settle down and live peacefully, they have to deal with the past decisions that the main character, Tom Joad, can’t escape the things he has done wrong.
3. Since the site I posted is a review of the movie, most of the stuff I’ll talk about will be reflecting off of my analysis. The review was able to provide more insight into the way the shots foreshadow certain events that will transpire and how the long shots of Tom walking in the dust bowl of the farmland gives away that the people who are living around are in trouble. Family will hold the characters together above all things, and Mom takes that role to make that importance stand out over every other family member by being a metaphor for the land. Some people only have their land that has been in their family for generations and to have people come along and say that you don’t own that land anymore makes the character feel less powerful than they would have been when they were in possession of the land.
4. Now for the honesty, Grapes of Wrath was pretty boring to my taste in movies, but I can appreciate many aspects of the movie that stand out to make the story bearable. The first thing you’ll notice is the great cinematography that displays the people in the movie as a lesser power to the effect mother nature has on their land. Being forced off their property by people with money also adds to the conflict by displaying the balance of power that is not in the Joad’s favor and many of the people that live near them. As they head off on their belief that jobs are a plenty on the west coast, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Oregon Trail video game where you may be different people by the time you get to your destination.
The plot alone without any of the things that go on after they arrive in the west coast would have made it even more boring, but it was a nice twist in the middle where they were warned that many people got those letters that told them jobs were available and that their chances were slim. The Joads literally had no choice but to press on in the hopes that they would be able to find something so they could survive. They finally happen to stumble on a place that was on their way out of a place that many people were dragged into, but what Tom did by killing one of the cops was wrong, in a way, it was the right thing to do because of his friend being killed and they would have gotten away with it. His evil to society was good in his heart, but society is bigger than man, and nature is the ruler of all when it comes down to the way they were forced to adapt to the times.
2. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9802E7D91E3EE23ABC4D51DFB766838B659EDE
This New York Times movie review is a great read to have further insight into how John Ford wanted to portray the despair the family was going through when they were traveling on highway 66. The way John Ford shot the family driving and having the desert reflecting in the windshield of the over packed carriage shows that even if they believe they will be heading toward the promised land of California, that there may not be anything worthwhile to gain when they get there. Throughout the movie, especially towards the end when they finally get a nice place to settle down and live peacefully, they have to deal with the past decisions that the main character, Tom Joad, can’t escape the things he has done wrong.
3. Since the site I posted is a review of the movie, most of the stuff I’ll talk about will be reflecting off of my analysis. The review was able to provide more insight into the way the shots foreshadow certain events that will transpire and how the long shots of Tom walking in the dust bowl of the farmland gives away that the people who are living around are in trouble. Family will hold the characters together above all things, and Mom takes that role to make that importance stand out over every other family member by being a metaphor for the land. Some people only have their land that has been in their family for generations and to have people come along and say that you don’t own that land anymore makes the character feel less powerful than they would have been when they were in possession of the land.
4. Now for the honesty, Grapes of Wrath was pretty boring to my taste in movies, but I can appreciate many aspects of the movie that stand out to make the story bearable. The first thing you’ll notice is the great cinematography that displays the people in the movie as a lesser power to the effect mother nature has on their land. Being forced off their property by people with money also adds to the conflict by displaying the balance of power that is not in the Joad’s favor and many of the people that live near them. As they head off on their belief that jobs are a plenty on the west coast, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Oregon Trail video game where you may be different people by the time you get to your destination.
The plot alone without any of the things that go on after they arrive in the west coast would have made it even more boring, but it was a nice twist in the middle where they were warned that many people got those letters that told them jobs were available and that their chances were slim. The Joads literally had no choice but to press on in the hopes that they would be able to find something so they could survive. They finally happen to stumble on a place that was on their way out of a place that many people were dragged into, but what Tom did by killing one of the cops was wrong, in a way, it was the right thing to do because of his friend being killed and they would have gotten away with it. His evil to society was good in his heart, but society is bigger than man, and nature is the ruler of all when it comes down to the way they were forced to adapt to the times.
