To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Ranked 34 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest American Films, To Kill a Mockingbird is quite simply one of the finest family-oriented dramas ever made. A beautiful and deeply affecting adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, the film retains a timeless quality that transcends its historically dated subject matter (racism in the Depression-era South) and remains powerfully resonant in present-day America with its advocacy of tolerance, justice, integrity, and loving, responsible parenthood. It's tempting to call this an important "message" movie that should be required viewing for children and adults alike, but this riveting courtroom drama is anything but stodgy or pedantic. As Atticus Finch, the small-town Alabama lawyer and widower father of two, Gregory Peck gives one of his finest performances with his impassioned defense of a black man (Brock Peters) wrongfully accused of the rape and assault of a young white woman. While his children, Scout (Mary Badham) and Jem (Philip Alford), learn the realities of racial prejudice and irrational hatred, they also learn to overcome their fear of the unknown as personified by their mysterious, mostly unseen neighbor Boo Radley (Robert Duvall, in his brilliant, almost completely nonverbal screen debut). What emerges from this evocative, exquisitely filmed drama is a pure distillation of the themes of Harper Lee's enduring novel, a showcase for some of the finest American acting ever assembled in one film, and a rare quality of humanitarian artistry (including Horton Foote's splendid screenplay and Elmer Bernstein's outstanding score) that seems all but lost in the chaotic morass of modern cinema. Universal's Collector's Edition DVD gives this classic all the respect it deserves, offering the film in its original widescreen aspect ratio, a full-length commentary by director Robert Mulligan and producer Alan J. Pakula, informative production notes, and an exclusive documentary about the making of this all-time great American film. Consider this a must for any respectable DVD library. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Michelle's Amazon review

Excellent affordable price for a classic movie that is 3 to 4 times as much cost every place else! Fast delivery! Amazon is the best! June 26, 2008

Storytelling cannot get any better than this!

Without much knowledge of history behind the acclaimed author Truman Capote, I watched the film "Capote" sometime back, and was interested in knowing more about his childhood friend Harper Lee and the her Pulitzer prize willing novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" mentioned in the film. After reading the reviews, I realized that this novel is tagged as the book of the century in American literature by the critics and the fans. I bought the film with high expectations, and all my expectations were exceeded by this masterpiece. This movie and the history behind Harper Lees work touched me so deep, that I went to imdb (http://www.imdb.com) and gave it a perfect 10 rating. This is the only movie I have rated 10 so far, although I have given 9 to about dozen of movies. (http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=36767647)

Being an alien to American way of life and its discourse, I think I have uncovered one of the gems in modern American literature. Reasons, that I was drawn so much to this movie could be personal to me as well. The little girl who plays the lead role reminds me of my own little daughter, and the Atticus Finch's character in this movie, could be the role model of fatherhood for any given culture.
June 7, 2008

Tender, Touching Tale about Innocence Lost!

Having read the book twice and now watching the film, it's nice to see that the film has actually done justice to the book in that it's successful in bringing out the actual message of innocence lost and about the difference between right and wrong, good and evil as seen from the point of view of 3 children and specifically the little girl Scout. People tend to hate and seek to destroy that which they don't understand just because it scares them and the children learn at the end that the best way to overcome this fear is to face it head on and to seek to learn and understand rather than to judge and destroy. At the end, this is what Scout does as she befriends the feared Boo who saves her brother's life. We all naturally love to support the underdog and this film tells the story of Atticus fighting for justice and teaching his kids as he does so by his actions as well as his words.

This dvd has an excellent documentary about the film as well as good interviews with the cast and crew as they look back at their experiences while making the film. The picture quality is okay but not perfect and could do with another restoration job although the 2-channel mono sound quality is okay but a 5.1 surround option would have been much appreciated. Overall, this is a well-crafted film with excellent acting and an excellent screenplay.

Recommended. June 5, 2008

Alabama, God Damn

This film is an excellent black and white adaptation of Harper Lee's book of the same name. The acting, particularly by Gregory Peck (and a cameo by a young Robert Duval), brings out all the pathos, bathos and grit of small town Southern life in the 1930's. The story itself is an unusual combination, narrated by Peck's film daughter (and presumably Lee herself), of a stage of the coming of age story that we are fairly familiar with and the question of race and sex in the Deep South (and not only there) with which we were (at the time of the film's debut in 1962) only vaguely familiar. That dramatic tension, muted as it was by the cinematic and social conventions of the time, nevertheless made a strong statement about the underlying tensions of this society at a time when the Southern black civil rights struggle movement was coming in focus in the national consciousness.

The name Atticus Finch (Peck's role) as the liberal (for that southern locale) lawyer committed to the rule of law had a certain currency in the 1960's as a symbol for those southern whites who saw that Jim Crow had to go. Here Finch is the appointed lawyer for a black man accused of raping a white women of low origin- the classic `white trash' depicted in many a film and novel. Finch earnestly, no, passionately in his understated manner, attempts to defend this man, a brave act in itself under the circumstances.

Needless to say an all white jury of that black man's `peers' nevertheless convicts him out of hand. In the end the black man tries to escape and is killed in the process. In an earlier scenario Finch is pressed into guard duty at the jailhouse in order to head off a posse of `white trash' elements who are bend on doing `justice' their way- hanging him from a lynching tree. On a mere false accusation of a white woman this black man is doomed whichever way he turns. Sound familiar?

The other part of the story concerns the reactions by Finch's motherless son and tomboyish daughter to the realities of social life, Southern style. That part is in some ways, particularly when the children watch the trial from the "Negro" balcony section of the courtroom, the least successful of the film. What is entirely believable and gives some relief from the travesty that is unfolding are the pranks, pitfalls and antics of the kids. The tensions between brother and sister, the protective role of the older brother, the attempt by the sister to assert her own identity, the sense of adventure and mystery of what lies beyond the immediate household that is the hallmark of youth all get a work out here. But in the end it is the quiet dignity of solid old Atticus and the bewildered dignity of a doomed black man that hold this whole thing together. Bravo Peck. Kudos to Harper Lee.
May 27, 2008

A Wonderful Classic

I love the book and love the movie even more. This movie had me laughing one minute, angry the next, and finally crying. The is a great movie for all to see. May 25, 2008

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