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Poster for The Grapes of Wrath
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Released
1940 · FILM

The Grapes of Wrath

A recently released convict reunites with his destitute family and leads them on a perilous trek westward, battling poverty, exploitation, and relentless injustice as they chase the promise of a better life in California.

“The Joads step right out of the pages of the novel that has shocked millions!”

Directed by
John Ford, John Ford Nm0000406
Written by
Nunnally Johnson, John Steinbeck
Rated
MPA · Approved
Color
Black & White
Runtime
129 min
Drama

Synopsis

Tom Joad returns to his home following a period in prison, only to discover that his family has been evicted from their farm due to foreclosure. He reunites with them at his uncle's farm and joins them the next day as they set out for California in search of a new beginning.

Credits

Actors
Editor
Director of Photography
Writers
Directors

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How many hands made this film

The scale of the collaboration

A crew of 213+ credited

Why a floor?

This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.

Craft leads on file

Edited by Robert L SimpsonShot by Gregg TolandScored by Alfred NewmanSound by George Leverett

Box Office

1940 · Box office

⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 2.0× its budget

Why 2.5×?

Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).

Worldwide gross

$1.6M

Budget$800K
Worldwide gross$1.6M
break-even (2.5×)

Versions & cuts

  • cut· 108 min

Also known as

  • Früchte des Zornsde
  • (Flemish)De druiven der gramschap
  • Grapes of Wrathen
  • Las uvas de la iraes
  • Les Raisins de la colèrefr
  • Furoreit
Release dates around the world3 countries · show
  • United StatesJan 24, 1940
  • CanadaMar 1, 1940
  • MexicoMay 9, 1940

Production & Distribution

Production
20th Century Fox

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