Watch Bound for Glory

This loose adaptation of the autobiography of Woody Guthrie, Bound For Glory, used fictionalized characters and situations to explain the motives and choices made by the iconic American folk singer as he moves from California to New York City in the late 1930s up to 1940. The film tells the story of the relationship between Guthrie and his first wife Mary; aside from these two characters all the others are fictionalized to advance the story. Guthrie spends the majority of the movie living, singing and working in California as the problems caused by the Great Depression are still being felt by the workers in many of the agricultural lands of the state. As the problems of the dust bowl cause health and economic issues within California, Guthrie uses his music and celebrity to try and publicize the issues facing the residents of California during the Dust Bowl years. Eventually, Guthrie continues his career by arriving in New York City and composing his most famous works with the people of California still in his mind.