I've heard about this movie and novel for a long time but didn't know the details. Just saw this movie on YT for free. I've seen a lot of old movies and this one certainly stands out as being unique. It's gritty and focuses on characters who belong to the lowest classes. As soon as I saw the scene with a farm run by the US Government, I knew there was a political message being made. The message was clearly that capitalistic farm owners only seek to exploit their workers, whereas the government is more like the workers' friend and ally. Was this the reality and big picture taking place in the 1930s? I don't have a clue. I suspect the real truth is far more complex. It would be interesting to see how proponents of the current Critical Race Theory would view this movie, since all the exploitation shown is due to socioeconomic class and not race. All the characters were white. It was all about white people being cruel and exploitative towards other white people. Performances were credible although at times the script and direction were too "theatrical", veering from stark realism to performance directed at an audience. Very bleak and somewhat depressing social commentary, but worth seeing once.
Review of The Grapes of Wrath
