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January 28, 2014 | Theatre,
CHECK OUT THESE FILMS, BOOKS, AND MUSIC RELATED TO HOUSE / DIVIDED!
By James Blaszko
FILMS
Grapes of Wrath (1940) Released just one year after the Steinbeck classic, director John Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath is a moving and memorable adaptation that reveals an authenticity in the Joad’s struggles that can only be presented in live action film. This film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and is ranked number 21 by the American Film Institute on its list of the 100 Greated American Films. If you want to remind yourself of the story before seeing HOUSE/DIVIDED, this adaptation is on Netflix Instant Watch!
Fault Lines for Sale: The American Dream (2012) 
Fault Lines is a short documentary presented by Al Jazeera that offers its audience a snapshot into the lives of those who remain victims of the foreclosure crisis. Although the crisis began in 2008, this documentary proves that there are still countless of cases of foreclosure and eviction across the United States. Fault Lines travels to California as well as Chicago, a city in the same region The Builders Association began to create HOUSE/DIVIDED.
The Queen of Versailles (2012)
This documentary tells the tale of the 2008 financial crisis through quite an atypical lens. Filming began when Westgate timeshare mogul David Siegel and his wife set out to build America’s largest home, modeled after the Palace of Versailles. Little to anyone’s knowledge, the crisis reached a climax during filming, consequently driving the family business close to bankruptcy and stopping all construction on the home. A film that touches on wealth, power, and economic disrepair on multiple levels, The Queen of Versailles proves how all walks of life were affected by the crisis.
HOUSE / DIVIDED will play at the Emerson/Cutler Majestic Theatre from Jan 30-Feb 2nd. For more information and tickets, visit our website here.
BOOKS
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)
Simply put, this is the novel that began conversation surrounding the creation of HOUSE/DIVIDED. An American classic, The Grapes of Wrath follows the Joads, a family driven away from their Oklahoma home during the Great Depression, as they set out for a better life in California. Steinbeck was awarded the National Book Award in 1939, the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and ultimately the Nobel Prize in 1962. For a deeper understanding of HOUSE/DIVIDED, start with this primary source.
For the most current perspective on where the financial crisis has taken the United States since its start, look no further than Alan S. Binder’s new book. Praised as “one of the best books yet about the financial crisis” by the Wall Street Journal and “highly readable” by The New York Times, Binder’s account of the crisis is both comprehensive and insightful. This book is also a great way to be informed on the many key players involved with the crisis, including many companies that are mentioned in HOUSE/DIVIDED.
The Return of Depression of Economics and the Crisis of 2008 by Paul R. Krugman (2000)
Paul R. Krugman puts our global economic history on spotlight in his thorough analysis of economic crises then and now. Krugman, an accomplished translator as well as a professor at MIT, offers, in lay man’s terms, a critique of how policy makers and governments as a whole have approached economic despair.
HOUSE / DIVIDED will play at the Emerson/Cutler Majestic Theatre from Jan 30-Feb 2nd. For more information and tickets, visit our website here.
MUSIC
Dust Bowl Ballads – Woody Guthrie (2000)
One of the most important folk musicians in American history, Woody Guthrie encapsulates the story of the Joads in just 17 verses of “The Ballad of Tom Joad.” This two-part song, along with many other amazing selections, comprise Dust Bowl Ballads, a true reliving of the experiences thousands of workers had during this time period.
The Ghost of Tom Joad – Bruce Springsteen (1995)
Contemporary musicians have also tackled the timeless tale of the Joads and the musical legacy left behind by Woody Guthrie. In 1995, Bruce Springsteen produced an entire album dedicated to families who have experienced abandonment and betrayal in the American Dream. Each song on the album tells the story of characters dreamt up by Springsteen that tackle many problems in contemporary American society such as poverty, judgment, and violence.
Fight with Tools – Flobots (2008)
While no songs on this debut album from Flobots distinctly reference The Grapes of Wrath, each story spoken and sung through the album incites a call to action towards the very troubles the Joads had to endure. Calling out governments and corporations alike, Flobots use their signature indie/hip-hop style to show solidarity in the common man, creating music as infectious as their message. The album is a definite listen for those interested in an energetic funk band with a political backdrop.
HOUSE / DIVIDED will play at the Emerson/Cutler Majestic Theatre from Jan 30-Feb 2nd. For more information and tickets, visit our website here.
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