The Gapes of Wrath Screening Response - Stephanie Xu PDF

Preview

Summary

Weekly film screening response...

Description

California: A Dreamland of Disappointment Set in the era of the Great Depression, the film follows the Joads as they seek opportunities in the land that promises opportunities and prosperity: California. This hopeful image of California is first established when Uncle John reads out a paper bill declaring that 800 workers are needed there. The camera is positioned to look over Uncle John’s shoulder, revealing a white sheet of paper that appears well-kept and treasured from its regular fold lines, which contrasts greatly with the gray and dusty surroundings. After cutting back to a camera position that presents the characters, it becomes apparent that the focus of the room has shifted to this piece of paper. While the parents merely shared a look with a hint of a smile, the grandparents are shown with obvious elation, and their eyes seeming to sparkle against the dullness of the rest of the scene. From there, the camera stays stationary to record the reaction of the grandfather, who shares his imagination of having so many grapes to eat that he can put them in a tub and squish around in them. While delivering this monologue, the grandfather looks back and forth around the table, which invites the viewers to imagine that the rest of the table shares his fantasies and responds in the same way as the grandmother, who is the only other character in the frame. His words trail off near the end of the exclamation, showing how he is lost in the fantasy and has loosened his grasp of the real world. This segment constructs an idealized impression of California: a distant and dreamy place that seems to offer what is only possible in a land of fantasy. The hopeful image is perpetuated by the mise-en-scene when the Joads readied themselves to leave for California. While the adults optimistically discussed how they should have enough money for the road, the children joyfully chanted in the background. Being at an age not mature enough to develop opinions of their own, the children’s excitement is in truth a reflection of the adult’s wishes. Since adults have learned to conceal and repress their emotions, the children act as a mirror that clearly and directly echoes their elders’ hopes in a straightforward manner, which takes the form of a joyous tune in this instance. Aside from employing diegetic sounds to showcase the Joad’s hopeful expectations for California, upbeat background music is also used during the first series of montage shots to indicate the cheerful atmosphere that likely permeated the truck while they traveled. However, the energetic music soon slows as the truck stops along the road and fades into soft notes on the piano. After the grandfather passed away from a stroke, reality seeped back into the Joads’ life as the music disappeared completely and the sounds of the crickets can be heard in the night. With that, the dream of California is brought into question as the painful associations with death are drawn to be in connection with the promised land. The romantic qualities of California are further complicated when the Joads ran into a man that has suffered in the west and has returned. While he pointed out that too many men were headed west for a limited number of jobs, a series of quick cuts are utilized to reveal the reactions of the different characters, fostering an uncertain atmosphere that is implicated to have pervaded throughout the campsite. Moreover, the camera cuts to a closeup when the man mentioned the death of his family. This choice in cinematography encourages the viewers to

experience the same impact that the Joads felt, as the man’s expressions are enlarged and his emotions thus amplified. When the camera again cuts back to the Joads, they too are shown in a closeup, which emphasizes their expressions and prompts further sympathy from the viewers, leading them to experience the same feeling of shock and uncertainty that the Joads felt during the exchange. These elements tore apart the dreamy and fantastical vision of California, revealing the coldness and cruelty that lay underneath the facade of opportunity. The first view of California further enforces the pre-established uncertainties that had begun to darken the idealized image of the state. Barren mountains across the river take up nearly the entire frame, overwhelming the characters that stand small against the harsh landscapes. There was a moment of pause in which the characters looked back and forth at each other, seemingly in disbelief. The air of apprehension is then enhanced by a zoom, which brings into focus an exchange of an unsure gaze between Pa and Uncle John. These cinematic elements make clear that the fantastical vision of California is far off from reality, and that the characters are now well aware of it. Still, the Joads hold onto an inkling of hope, optimistically wishing that it would be different on the other side. However, the mise-en-scene in the next sequence forebodes an unfortunate future, as their truck nearly falls over in its struggle to continue with the journey. Not only that, but the road sign also reads “Needles Welcomes You to California”, which possesses a double meaning that can indicate the pain and suffering lying ahead in the supposed land of opportunities. The definitive instance in which the reality of California came crashing down was through a tracking shot of the first camp in California they arrived at. The camera seems to assume the perspective of the truck, moving slowly and hesitantly through the campsite. It is not impersonal, but rather turns to meet the gaze of each camper they pass, as if trying to take in their situations. The slowness of the camera reflects a sense of struggle, like it is having difficulties contemplating the reality of the scenario, which mirrors both the Joads’ and the viewers’ perspective. Through the dusty clothes, tiny shacks, and worried faces, it has been made clearer than ever that California is in no way similar to the fantastical land dreamt up by the Joads before their departure. It is not a hope worth keeping clean and well-folded, nor is it a promise that will bring enough grapes to fill a washtub. It is a place of struggle like any other, a place where greed, oppression, and violence will soon bring tragedy to the Joads....