Black and white world, colorful heart

Hayley 2022-03-22 09:01:48

Intrigued by the title of this movie because I love eating grapes. The title anthropomorphizes the grapes, making it reminiscent of "Angry Birds". At first glance thought it was a lovely comedy.

【color】

If 1935's Flashy World was the world's first color film, then 1940's The Grapes of Wrath should have had color technology.

I don’t know if it’s because color movies were not popular soon after they were born, or because they were expensive, or because of the director’s personal preference, this movie uses black and white.

Some filmmakers believe that black-and-white images keep the audience's attention on the characters and stories, preventing them from being distracted by gaudy, cluttered backgrounds. Color photography also undercuts the artistry, because color photography doesn't require as much light as black and white.

Black-and-white films must rely on controlling the chiaroscuro and contrast produced by light and shadow, and produce the strongest effect by highlighting the contrast between highlights and shadows.

When watching this film, you can pay more attention to the changes in light and shadow, especially in the part showing the western desert scene of the United States.

【theme】

When Joad was away from home, her mother asked her where she was going to find him in the future, and how would she know whether he was alive or dead. Joad answered such a passage: A person's soul does not belong only to himself, it is only a small part of the human soul, and belongs to everyone's big soul. A person's soul doesn't matter, I'm everywhere in the dark, and all you see is me. Where the poor fight to be full, there is me. Wherever the police beat the poor, there is me. I was among the angry shouting crowd, I was among the children who smelled the smell of supper and laughed. When people can eat their own food and live in homes built with their hands, I am there.

This is a kind of ambition that binds oneself to the country and the people, which may also be the greatest way to reflect the value of being a human being.

【figure】

In addition to Joad in the above theme, his mother is also a character that the film focuses on. When she first appeared on the scene, her mother saw Joad coming home early from prison, and she asked him sadly: Did they hurt you? Did they make you crazy and mean? Sometimes they do. They hurt you, they drive you crazy, they become vitriolic and extreme, they abuse you again, you become more and more ruthless, no longer a child and a person, become a walking dead mean lunatic... Did they hurt you like this? son? She didn't smile reassuringly until Joad replied that she didn't.

A sentence that shows the integrity, kindness and literacy of the mother. Then there are such scenes in the film one after another: in the refugee camp A, let the children take their own jars to get their meals; in the refugee camp B, his son Joad heard that there is a committee responsible for formulating and implementing regulations and managing the refugees in the refugee camp. Every Saturday night There is also a grand ball, he said happily, "Mom will definitely like it here, she hasn't been treated with such respect for a long time."

At the end of the film, when they start their journey again, she says, "Scared? I'll never be afraid again. For a moment, it seems like we've been knocked down, as if the world is full of enemies and there are no good people anymore, I do. Feeling sad and scared, like we failed and no one cared about us."

After saying this, Dad said, "You are our backbone." He said that he was immersed in the idea of ​​going home every day, and at this time, Mom said another paragraph: "Old man, women's adaptability Better than a man. A man's life is a jump, a child is born, or someone dies, it's a jump, gaining or losing a farm is a jump. But a woman's life is like a stream, with little ups and downs, but the water doesn't Stop. That's how women see the world."

Perhaps it is because of such a mother that a son Joad who has the courage to fight for his dignity is cultivated. Perhaps it is the brave son Joad who has infected his mother and has such a strong and resilient mother.

The other characters will not be repeated here.

Life will always find all kinds of suffering to hone people, but fortunately we have free will.

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Extended Reading

The Grapes of Wrath quotes

  • [last lines]

    Ma Joad: Rich fellas come up an' they die, an' their kids ain't no good an' they die out. But we keep a'comin'. We're the people that live. They can't wipe us out; they can't lick us. We'll go on forever, Pa, 'cause we're the people.

  • [the family is leaving the farm, heading for California]

    Al Joad: Ain't you gonna look back, Ma? Give the ol' place a last look?

    Ma Joad: We're going' to California, ain't we? All right then let's go to California.

    Al Joad: That don't sound like you, Ma. You never was like that before.

    Ma Joad: I never had my house pushed over before. Never had my family stuck out on the road. Never had to lose everything I had in life.