To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

In my experience, this may be the best adaptation of a novel that Hollywood has ever produced, the story having been taken from the novel of the same name by Harper Lee. It's a story about racism in the Depression-era South. It's a coming of age story for young Scout and Jem, who watch their father Atticus doggedly defend a black man accused of beating and raping a young white woman. It features magnificent performances from pretty much the entire cast. Young Mary Badham was actually nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Scout - but then, perhaps surprisingly, she went on to do very little acting. And what can one say about Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. This may well have been his best performance; when I think of Gregory Peck it's certainly Atticus Finch who comes into my mind. There's an incredible mix of well known names in the supporting cast: Brock Peters, William Windom, Paul Fix and even a very young Robert Duvall. And there really isn't a weak performance among them. Most of the attention around "To Kill A Mockingbird" is usually focused on the performances, and especially Peck, but I want to pay special tribute to the directing.Director Robert Mulligan did a superb job as well, and while he went on to direct a number of other movies, this surely was his finest job. There's a very good pace to this movie. It starts out slowly, painting an almost idyllic picture of life in this small town in the South, focusing on Scout and Jem and their friend Dill. It's summer, school is out and they're just kids having fun. It's a casual and carefree existence, they spend most of their time outside, sometimes getting into mischief, sometimes investigating some of the town's mysteries - one of which revolves around the story of Boo, a local boy supposedly kept chained in his basement by his father. You get the feeling that if there was anyplace you wanted to grow up as a child, it was right here in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930's - Depression or not. Until Mayella is attacked, and Tom Robinson (a black man) is accused, and Atticus is assigned to defend him. Then the story becomes dark, the racism starts to be seen; the gulf between black and white must be a shock to Scout and Jem, whose exposure to black people to this point has been to friendly Calpurnia, who kept house for their widowed father and looked after them and was more or less part of the family. Mulligan picks up the pace of the movie once the trial starts. The trial proceeds at a frenetic pace - seemingly it all takes place in a single day, which perhaps makes the point that even with Atticus doing his best and making clear the truth of what had actually happened, there was going to be no long consideration of the facts - just a rush to a pre-ordained judgement, followed by a tragedy. Then there's the suspense of what happened to Scout and Jem on their "longest journey" - as the adult Scout (who serves as kind of the narrator) calls it in a voice over. But once that finishes, Mulligan changes the pace again, and the story slows down as the mystery of Boo from the beginning of the movie is revealed, and the film concludes on a very gentle and moving note. Just superb pacing from Mulligan. He was nominated for the Oscar as Best Director in 1963, but lost to David Lean's turn directing "Lawrence of Arabia." Both were fine movies, but I'd have given the nod to Mulligan.You could criticize the movie for downplaying to an extent the reality of racism. It really doesn't give us any glimpse into what it was like to be black in Maycomb - it gives far more of a white perspective on the issue of racism. But that's exactly what the novel was of course - a depiction of life in small town Alabama using Harper Lee's own upbringing as a model. I also thought that the combination of the depiction of small town life (and especially the focus at the beginning and the end on Boo) was perhaps a bit awkwardly combined with the rape trial and the reflection on racism, although Boo himself becomes an example of yet another misunderstood figure in the town. Atticus comes across as almost too good to be true. But, really, there's very little to criticize about this movie, which deserves to be thought of as a classic. (9/10)

Absolutely perfect movie with a powerful theme of racial tolerance Best movie I've ever seen told from a child's perspective. Thank goodness this was done in black and white; color would have ruined it. The most faithful adaptation of a book I can remember. I cannot say enough good things about it. Watch this movie!

To Kill A Mockingbird is a Classic Drama that is based on the book by Harper Lee. The theme of the movie is preconceived notions and there are two examples of this in the theme: 1) Boo Radley and 2) Tom Robinson. Both are viewed as dangerous as violent due to preconceived notions that the townspeople have about them. The main character is Jean Louise Finch. Her father, Atticus Finch, was appointed by the judge to defend Tom Robinson. Atticus believes that Tom is innocent and is a victim of racism and false accusations. Both are incredibly interesting and the acting is done well. The casting is magnificent and is very close to what was described in the book.I don't like this movie quite as much as the book, as I almost never do, but I still really enjoyed it. You can gain a lot more from the story by reading the book but if you are looking for a way to see the story in a short amount of time, this is a great film to watch.

​'TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD' - 1962Directed by Robert MulliganStarring Gregory Peck, Mary Badham and Phillip AlfordPlot Overview: ​Scout Finch (Mary Badham), 6,and her older brother, Jem (Phillip Alford), live in sleepy Maycomb, Ala., spending much of their time with their friend Dill (John Megna) and spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbour, Boo Radley (Robert Duvall). When Atticus (Gregory Peck), their widowed father and a respected lawyer, defends a black man named Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) against fabricated rape charges, the trial and tangent events expose the children to evils of racism and stereotyping.This might be a movie that I am just not understanding in the slightest. It may genuinely be a testament of cinematic perfection. But, as it stands, I was immensely disappointed by this movie. Is it a poor movie? No. Not at all. In fact, there is a portion of this movie that could stand as one of the greatest 'Acts' in Film history. But the meat surrounding this Act was very lacklustre and poor for me. I am very sad to say that 'To Kill A Mockingbird' disappointed me.But what do I actually like about it? The portion between the first half and last 20 minutes was cinematic perfection. I am serious. I won't specifically say what happens but I will say that it is literally perfect. As for the film surrounding that part, that is a different story for me, but that does not detract from the masterful film making shown my the actors and Mulligan during that sweet, sweet 40 or so minutes.I also loved Gregory Peck in this film. He delivers a heartfelt, slow and meaningful performance as Articus. You can really see a passion and intelligence lurking beneath his calm, steady and articulate demeanour. Peck well and truly deserved his Oscar for this outstanding performance.Brock Peters was also incredible in his, unfortunately, minute role as Tom Robinson. Peters and the writers do excellent jobs in creating sympathy for this character and truly showing the injustice of the situation he finds himself in. I was very disappointed that he did not at least receive an Oscar nomination for this role; it was truly excellent. Phillip Aldford was good as Jem. The character wasn't exactly likable or interesting but I do admire their attempt at giving him an arc. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Mary Badham's Scout for me. It baffles me as to how she earned an Oscar Nomination because I found her performance to be bland and very poor. And Scout as a character was also very disappointing. I mean, she wasn't likable, interesting and I fail to see a true arc for her. Another flaw that I have with this film is the very mediocre beginning and end. The middle is, as stated prior, true cinematic gold. The remainder of the film is a dull, bland, uninteresting, monotonous mess. I fail to see the brilliance in it and, while the message of the film is strong and prosperous, the execution of it was not. Then there is the very annoying ending. Maybe I am an idiot but I did not understand what was happening in the ending of this film. It was very confusing. I understand WHAT happened but I cannot fathom as to why. Perhaps my attention merely lapsed for those precious couple of seconds for the grand reveal but that doesn't change my distaste for it. That, and that man was absurdly creepy.In conclusion, I was unfortunately disappointed by 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. It's not a bad movie by any means, and when it gets it right, it gets it right. But the overall package did not live up to the expectations I had. It was a little over average and the middle on its own would achieve an easy 10/10. Despite that claim, the middle was the middle, and it had the beginning and end bogging it down. Do see this film, though. The message is very important and it features an impeccable middle and performance from Gregory Peck. Aside from that though, it was not that great. I'll rate 'To Kill A Mockingbird' 7 'Creepy Men in the Corner' out of 10.