Film Commentary on the Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath

During the 1920s the American country prospered greatly. These were the progressive years where the living standard rose, and it was a time of great economic opportunities for what had become a consumer society. ‘Most Americans enjoyed a life of unprecedented material abundance and good fortune. This period became known as the seven good years. The period following was called The Great Depression and was the worst economic decline ever in U.S. history. The recession began in 1929 with the stock market crash and by 1933 it had become a depression that was to last approximately 10 years, affecting all industrialised nations of the world.

In the 1930s and 1940s American cinema was one of the most powerful ideological forces in the world. ‘One of the most valuable aspects of feature film is that they reveal national moods and much about the society and period from which they are produced’ and this is especially true when you look at John Ford’s fi...