One of the finest American films ever produced.
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" is a picture of an era gone by. Reflective of the leisurely pace of the Depression-era South the film takes its time in developing a portrait of the lives of a pair of kids who are oblivious to the pitfalls of the time, including racism, bigotry, and painfully-poor conditions. Rather than tell a distinct A-to-B story, the film explores the era from the perspective of the children and exposes the true nature of the underpinnings of hatred in our society.
There is always a worry when a classic novel is being adapted to the screen, that it won´t be able to live up to the bigger-than-life reputation it earned over time. Fortunately the cinematic interpretation of "To Kill a Mockingbird" not only lives up to its source, in many ways it surpasses it by using a dynamic and veritable set of actors who create a wonderful group of characters that feel completely real.
The innocence of Jem (Phillip Alford) and Scout (Mary Badham) and their interpretation of the world they inhabit is the primary plot of the first half of the movie. The kids´ adventures with the visiting neighbor boy Dill (John Megna) are fun slices of history. They explore the sleepy little town they inhabit, playing with an old tire, and telling tales of the spook who lives in the neighbor´s basement. These scenes set a great tone for our innocent narrators and feel absolutely right and proper. They aren´t playing children; they are children, playing.
The interplay between the children and their single, widdower father, Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck), is marvelous. It is at once obvious that Atticus loves his children and isn´t exactly sure what to do with them. He lets them experience life, giving them sage words of guidance to help them on their journey to becoming well-rounded individuals. He may be strict, but he´s never harsh. The dynamic the three have is phenomenal, giving the audience a clear picture of their relationship. Though it would be a difficult scenario, I doubt there are many people who would not wish to inhabit their Macom household.
The main focus of the second half of the film revolves the trial of a black man for a rape he didn´t commit. Atticus is tapped to defend the accused, causing a deep schism to develop between him and the rest of the town who see Tom Robinson only as a nigger who had no business being around any white woman. The end of the trial is unfortunately inevitable, but justice is found in the end. If you were to tell me that there would be an hour-long scene set in a courtroom for a race-based rape trial that would show the defendant being railroaded, I would say that I earnestly had little interest in watching it. The movie doesn´t get preachy about the trail and instead shows just how much of a sham the legal system could be to people of color during this time in history. It becomes a sequence that flows and sets the bar (so to speak) for every courtroom scene to follow in film.
Every accolade given this film is deserved, as is every word of praise. I can think of few movies that deserve the distinction of perfection; but "To Kill a Mocking Bird" is just that. I feared writing this review because I didn´t want to observe the movie critically because I love it so much. I didn´t want to nitpick it or tear it down. Fortunately it stands up wonderfully to critical examination and repeated viewings. A quiet stillness permeates this movie that would be hard to create today. Just another reason to celebrate a nearly perfect film.
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[release]16322[/release]