Abstract
John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath, published in 1939, depicts the poverty of 1930s America during the “Great Depression” through the tragedy of the Joad family, who lost their home and land in Oklahoma and have to drive to California in the hope of finding employment and plenty like many other farmers. The novel was adapted for the cinema the same year and directed by John Ford. Proving welcome in cinema circles and taking its place as a master work in film history, it was one of the few films with radical political connotations hitherto produced by Hollywood. Nevertheless, this cinematic version of the Great Depression narrative has not escaped criticisms, which have been aimed chiefly at aspects of its content that diverge from its parent work. Compared with the novel, the film has been considered more conservative and optimistic, on the grounds that, although the novel emphasizes the class conflict and portrays the Joads as only one of the many suffering families, the film exerts a redundant focus on the family and commends family values: divergences considered to be supported by the visual style of the film. In this article, while recalling Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath, I revisit the above-mentioned criticisms and reassess them in relation to the parenting novel. In doing so, this article also aims to evoke the ongoing economic recession that influences the masses all over the world and the recurrent, unchanging and inevitable outcomes that such crises of capitalism bring for its victims.
References
- Anderson, L. (1981). About John Ford... London, England: Plexus.
- Asheim, L. (1949). From book to film (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Chicago, United States of America.
- Bluestone, G. (1973). Novels into film (sixth printing). Berkeley, United States of America: University of California Press.
- Bogdanovich, P. (1978). John Ford. Berkeley, United States of America: University of California Press.
- Cassano, G. (2008). Radical critique and progressive traditionalism in John Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath Critical Sociology 34(1), 99-116. doi: 10.1177/0896920507084627.
- Condon, F. (1940, January 27). The grapes of raps. Collier’s.
- DeMott, Robert. (2000). Introduction. In J. Steinbeck, The grapes of wrath (pp. ix-xl). London, England: Penguin.
- Ford, J. (Director). (1940). The grapes of wrath [Motion picture]. United States of America: 20 th Century Fox.
- French, W. (1973). Filmguide to The Grapes of Wrath. Bloomington, United States of America: Indiana Univ. Press.
- Gallagher, T. (1986). John Ford: The man and his films. Berkeley, United States of America: University of California Press.
- McBride, J. (2001). Searching for John Ford: A life. New York, United States of America: St. Martin’s Griffin Press.
- McFarlane, B. (1996). Novel to film: An introduction to the theory of adaptation. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
- Sanderson, J. (1989). American romanticism in John Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath. Literature/Film Quarterly 17(4), 231-244.
- Sarris, A. (1976). The John Ford movie mystery. London, England: Secker & Warburg.
- Sinclair, A. (1979). John Ford. New York, United States of America: The Dial Press/James Wade. Sobchack, V. C. (1979). The grapes of wrath (1940): Thematic emphasis through visual style. American Quarterly 31(5): 596-615. Special Issue: Film and American Studies (Winter).
- Steinbeck, J. (2000). The grapes of wrath. London, England: Penguin.
- Tavernier, B. (1967, March). John Ford à Paris. Positif 82.
Abstract
John Steinbeck’in 1939 yılında yayınlanan Gazap Üzümleri romanı, “büyük buhran” olarak bilinen ve 1930’lar boyunca süren iktisadi krizin Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’ndeki etkilerini ve bu krizin tetiklediği yoksulluğun boyutlarını göstermekte, bunu Oklahoma’daki evlerini ve arazilerini kaybedip diğer binlerce çiftçi ailesi gibi iş bulma ve zenginleşme umuduyla Kaliforniya’ya göç etmek zorunda kalan Joad ailesinin trajedisi üzerinden yapmaktadır. Roman yayınlandığı yıl sinemaya uyarlanmıştır. Sinema çevrelerinde büyük bir beğeniyle karşılanan ve Hollywood’un o güne kadar ürettiği en radikal siyasi mesajlarla örülü filmlerden biri olan bu uyarlama sinema tarihinin başyapıtları arasındaki yerini almıştır. Ancak, iktisadi kriz anlatısının bu sinema versiyonu yapıldığından bu yana geçen yıllar içinde eleştirilere konu olmaktan kurtulamamıştır. Eleştiriler özellikle filmin kaynak romandan farklılaşan içeriğine yönelmiş, romanla karşılaştırıldığında film daha muhafazakar ve iyimser olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Kaynak romanın sınıf çatışmasına vurgu yapmasına ve Joad ailesini krizin etkilediği ailelerden yalnızca biri olarak resmetmesine karşın filmin aileyi ve aile değerlerini öne çıkarması muhafazakarlık eleştirilerinin başlıca dayanaklarından biri olagelmiştir. Bu farklılaşmanın filmin görsel biçimince de desteklendiği öne sürülmüştür. Bu makalede Ford’un Gazap Üzümleri filmine ilişkin sözü edilen eleştiriler kaynak romanla da bağlantılandırılarak ele alınıp değerlendirilirken, dünya genelinde sürmekte olan iktisadi krize ve kapitalizmin bu tür krizlerinin değişmeyen ve kaçınılmaz sonuçlarına dikkat çekilmektedir.
Keywords
References
- Anderson, L. (1981). About John Ford... London, England: Plexus.
- Asheim, L. (1949). From book to film (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Chicago, United States of America.
- Bluestone, G. (1973). Novels into film (sixth printing). Berkeley, United States of America: University of California Press.
- Bogdanovich, P. (1978). John Ford. Berkeley, United States of America: University of California Press.
- Cassano, G. (2008). Radical critique and progressive traditionalism in John Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath Critical Sociology 34(1), 99-116. doi: 10.1177/0896920507084627.
- Condon, F. (1940, January 27). The grapes of raps. Collier’s.
- DeMott, Robert. (2000). Introduction. In J. Steinbeck, The grapes of wrath (pp. ix-xl). London, England: Penguin.
- Ford, J. (Director). (1940). The grapes of wrath [Motion picture]. United States of America: 20 th Century Fox.
- French, W. (1973). Filmguide to The Grapes of Wrath. Bloomington, United States of America: Indiana Univ. Press.
- Gallagher, T. (1986). John Ford: The man and his films. Berkeley, United States of America: University of California Press.
- McBride, J. (2001). Searching for John Ford: A life. New York, United States of America: St. Martin’s Griffin Press.
- McFarlane, B. (1996). Novel to film: An introduction to the theory of adaptation. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
- Sanderson, J. (1989). American romanticism in John Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath. Literature/Film Quarterly 17(4), 231-244.
- Sarris, A. (1976). The John Ford movie mystery. London, England: Secker & Warburg.
- Sinclair, A. (1979). John Ford. New York, United States of America: The Dial Press/James Wade. Sobchack, V. C. (1979). The grapes of wrath (1940): Thematic emphasis through visual style. American Quarterly 31(5): 596-615. Special Issue: Film and American Studies (Winter).
- Steinbeck, J. (2000). The grapes of wrath. London, England: Penguin.
- Tavernier, B. (1967, March). John Ford à Paris. Positif 82.
Details
| Primary Language | Turkish |
|---|---|
| Journal Section | Makaleler |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | July 22, 2014 |
| Submission Date | July 22, 2014 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2014 Volume: 4 Issue: 1 |