<Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $2.5 million (rentals) </Td> </Tr> <P> The Grapes of Wrath is a 1940 drama film directed by John Ford . It was based on John Steinbeck's 1939 Pulitzer Prize - winning novel of the same name . The screenplay was written by Nunnally Johnson and the executive producer was Darryl F. Zanuck . </P> <P> The film tells the story of the Joads, an Oklahoma family, who, after losing their farm during the Great Depression in the 1930s, become migrant workers and end up in California . The motion picture details their arduous journey across the United States as they travel to California in search of work and opportunities for the family members . </P> <P> The film is widely considered as one of the greatest American films of all time . In 1989, this film was one of the first 25 films to be selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant ." </P>

The grapes of wrath movie summary and analysis