MOVIES VS. CAPITALISM: The Grapes Of Wrath (w/ Harvey Kaye)

On this week’s Movies vs. Capitalism, hosts Rivka Rivera and Frank Cappello are joined by labor historian Harvey Kaye to discuss the classic 1940 film The Grapes of Wrath.

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A rough transcript of the episode is available here.

This week, as Americans celebrate Labor Day — a holiday honoring the achievements of the late 19th and early 20th century labor movement — the MVC team convenes with their resident historian to unpack The Grapes of Wrath, one of the greatest films ever made about the American labor struggle.

The group discusses how today’s climate crisis bears frightening parallels to the Great Depression’s Dust Bowl, both man-made environmental and economic disasters. They also explore how the film offers a sharp portrayal of bankers and law enforcement, class consciousness and proletarian revolution, and remains one of America’s most optimistic stories about the power of solidarity.

MVC will be taking the next two weeks off. They’ll return on Sept. 26 with an episode on the sci-fi comedy classic Back to the Future.

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