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Films Devised From the Great American Novelist

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Films Devised From the Great American Novelist

A trilogy inspired by the works of John Steinbeck.

Patrick Regal
Nov 17, 2020
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Films Devised From the Great American Novelist

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The Grapes of Wrath (1940)โ€Šโ€”โ€ŠPhoto: 20th Centuryย Fox

โ€œI believe that there is one story in the world, and only one.ย .ย .ย . Humans are caughtโ€Šโ€”โ€Šin their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and ambitions, in their avarice and cruelty, and in their kindness and generosity tooโ€Šโ€”โ€Šin a net of good and evil.ย .ย .ย . There is no other story. A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean questions: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done wellโ€Šโ€”โ€Šor ill?โ€ John Steinbeck, East of Eden

John Steinbeck is known to many as a titan of Western literature, penning numerous American classicsย , among them Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, and East of Eden. Despite being a fan of his writing, my association with Steinbeck comes primarily through the theatrical works he inspired. I truly love Frank Galatiโ€™s stage adaptations of Grapes and Edenโ€Šโ€”โ€ŠI have found them to both be fantastic and honorable cuttings, keeping the balance between melancholy and optimism so tight.

However, with the live theater on hold for awhile, you can check out this trilogy of Steinbeck novels adapted for the silver screen from the comfort of your own home.

The Grapes of Wrathย (1940)

Tom Joad returns to his home after a jail sentence to find his family kicked out of their farm due to foreclosure. He catches up with them on his Uncleโ€™s farm, and joins them the next day as they head for California and a new lifeโ€ฆ Hopefully.

Before you even press play, you know you are in for a treat. The cast and crew is a Whoโ€™s Who of Golden Age Hollywood: Tom is portrayed by all-American beau Henry Fonda, who received an Academy Award nomination for his performance. Jane Darwell won the golden statue for her performance as the family matriarch, Ma Joad, and director John Ford took one home as well. Ford, best known for other American classics starring Fonda and John Wayne, like 1939โ€™s Young Mr. Lincoln and 1938โ€™s Stagecoach respectively, was considered a surprising choice for the feature as his Conservative politics contrasted the far-leaning leftist politics of the novel.

Despite some unexpectedly large differences from the source material, the picture is still a strong adaptation. This story of poverty, desperation, and resilience hit audiences hard in 1940, right off of the Great Depression, the backdrop of the film, and hurling towards the upcoming Second World War. Its narrative still rings true today as many Americans face unemploymentโ€Šโ€”โ€Šwatching this in the midst of a pandemic could be too timely for some.

Fonda is always provocative, the film features John Carradineโ€™s interesting take on former preacher Jim Casy, and the filmโ€™s design elements really highlight the best of black-and-white camera work.

Of Mice and Menย (1992)

Of Mice and Men (1992)โ€Šโ€”โ€ŠPhoto:ย MGM

Two drifters, one a gentle but slow giant, try to make money working the fields during the Depression so they can fulfill their dreams.

This Gary Sinise-John Malkovich vehicle has to be one of the best book to screen adaptations ever. After having performed the show over a decade prior in their artistic home base that is the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, the pair were primed to take their work to the silver screen. Sinise directs and lets the novel do most of the talkingโ€Šโ€”โ€Štaking a large amount of dialogue directly from Steinbeck and doing little toying with the plot or structure. Its faithfulness to the book is not only wise, but it pays off well as its two hour runtime hits every important moment of the novel.

โ€œThe most sincere compliment I can pay them is to say that all of themโ€Šโ€”โ€Šwriter and actorsโ€Šโ€”โ€Šhave taken every unnecessary gesture, every possible gratuitous note, out of these characters. The story is as pure and lean as the original fable which formed in Steinbeckโ€™s mind. And because they donโ€™t try to do anything fancyโ€Šโ€”โ€Šdonโ€™t try to make it anything other than exactly what it isโ€Šโ€”โ€Šthey have a quiet triumph.โ€ Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Thereโ€™s a lot to like here, especially if you consider yourself to be a Steinbeck evangelist. Above all, however, Malkovichโ€™s performance as Lenny looms large above the rest. The aggressive energy he brings to all of his roles is perfect for Lennyโ€™s overbearing charm. Consider watching it for Malkovich alone.

In Dubious Battleย (2017)

In Dubious Battle (2017)โ€Šโ€”โ€ŠPhoto:ย Momentum

In the California apple country, 900 migratory workers rise โ€˜in dubious battleโ€™ against the landowners. The group takes on a life of its ownโ€Šโ€”โ€Šstronger than its individual members, and more frightening. Led by the doomed Jim Nolan, the strike is founded on his tragic idealismโ€Šโ€”โ€Šโ€™courage, never submit, or yieldโ€™.

You were probably expecting the final film in this triptych to be the infamous James Dean vehicle, 1955โ€™s East of Eden. Thatโ€™s the obvious, clear choice for a strong version of one of Steinbeckโ€™s works. However, that would be disingenous. Not all cinematic adaptations are alike, as evidenced by director James Francoโ€™s very flat In Dubious Battle (2017).

One of the lesser known of Steinbeckโ€™s novels, this has been Francoโ€™s M.O. as of lateโ€” adapting forgotten novels of the American canon for the screen. Many know him as an actor or for his most famous directorial effort, 2017โ€™s The Disaster Artist, chronicling the disaster that is the film The Room (2004). Few know that he has directed over two dozen films, including two adaptations of Faulkner works.

This outing commits one of the worst cinema sins: being boring. To be fair, it is probably difficult to make a tale of picket lines and unionization thrilling, but this movie doesnโ€™t even come close. Film novices Nat Wolff and Selena Gomez take up too much screen time, while heavyweights like Ed Harris, Robert Duvall, and Bryan Cranston are all underutilized. This is just one of many examples where they chose the clear cut wrong answer in their attempt to make this film a success.

โ€œRarely has such star wattage resulted in a film so dull.โ€ Tricia Olszewski, TheWrap

There are better adaptations of better novels, but watching this film shows that even if a movie is cut from the same cloth of inspiration, it still has some work to do to make it perform.

Credit: Each plot synopsis comes from Letterboxd via TMDb.

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