Deviating from typical norms of what would be thought of as ideal cinema by the people behind the Hayes Code is a great move for The Grapes of Wrath from a creative standpoint as it uses its grim tone to properly capture the harrowing experiences of the Joad family during the Great Depression. An opening sequence depicting protagonist Tom Joad (Henry Fonda), just released from prison, wandering a desolate landscape he used to call home establishes the tone of the proceedings right off the bat. This scene has imagery so haunting that it feels like it would be at home in an Ingmar Bergman movie, John Ford's directing and Gregg Toland's cinematography do excellent work in visually capturing just how scary it is for Tom to return to a home he no longer realizes.
The lush farms he and his family worked on have now been turned to ash and, like all the nearby farms, have been bought up by big banks who have kicked out the longterm residents of the area. Tom reunites with his expansive family, led by Ma Joad (Jane Darwell), just before they head out to California in order to take on a glorious-sounding job offer. On their extensive cross-country trip, the oldest members of the Joad family, Tom's grandparents, pass away off-screen in muted death scenes whose lack of extravagance helps to reinforce the morose tone of the proceedings. Nobody gets lavish demises here, more often than not, they pass away when other characters aren't even looking.
Even once the Joad's make their way to California, The Grapes of Wrath maintains a relentlessly bleak tone that may not be to every viewer's liking, but I was personally captivated by the unflinching look this film provides at everyday people trying to just survive another day in this cruel world. Nunnally Johnson's screenplay is able to ensure that the entire feature doesn't just become gratuitous misery like a torture porn movie by making the circumstances the Joad family have to deal with directly rooted in reality. Of course they'd face trouble from being one of so many families trying to find employment or in being associated with people trying to give individual workers rights.
Those are scenarios that still bring conflict to everyday people to this very day, why wouldn't they bring turmoil to the Joad family in the era of the Great Depression? The fact that the ending, even if it's toned down in grimness from the source material, doesn't wrap everything up in a tidy bow helps make the bleak nature of The Grapes of Wrath all the more impressive. Going for this more open-ended conclusion makes it apparent that filmmakers are committed to this tone and won't cop out of it even in an ending that does try imbue some muted level of hope in the form of Ma Joad waxing poetic on the endurance of everyday people.
The only real downside to the film is (hot take alert!) Henry Fonda as Tom Joad. Fonda isn't terrible in the role but he feels a touch too polished for the film he inhabits. So much of The Grapes of Wrath feels discernably rooted in the grimness of reality and Fonda, at least for me, kept conveying a polished movie star quality in his line deliveries and physical quality that feels like an ill fit to this motion picture. On the other hand, the best performance by a country mile is Jane Darwell, her quietly poignant performance is the heart of the entire gut-wrenching movie, as seen in her powerful dialogue-free performance in a scene of Ma Joad of looking at old photographs and newspaper headlines tied to the Joad family before she leaves her home forever. It's the most touching moment in the entire film and much of its emotional power comes from Darwell's performance, which frequently evokes the grim reality that makes The Grapes of Wrath such a compelling yet appropriately dour creation.
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