Written by Harper Lee and Horton Foote
Directed by Robert Mulligan
I continue to be surprised that To Kill a Mockingbird is still on the list of one of the most banned books at schools across the country. Not only did I read the book in high school, but the film was one I would definitely rank as one of the classics everyone should see at some point in their life.
The story is a blend of many facets of American life. It serves to illustrate the innocence of American life, particularly small-town American life. The characters of Scout and Jem serve to illustrate the innocence of the American public living in blissful ignorance as to what was simmering beneath the surface, quite possibly in their own backyards. Just as Scout and Jem are thrust into a very adult world in the story, so was the American public about to be as the reality of what simmered beneath the idyllic surface of American life was brought to the forefront in the 1960’s.
In 1932, six-year-old Scout (portrayed by Mary Badham) lives in the South with her lawyer father, Atticus Finch (portrayed by Gregory Peck), and brother Jem (portrayed by Phillip Alford). The two befriend a new boy on their street, Dill (portrayed by John Megna), which includes warning him about the strange man named Boo Radley who lives nearby. Boo isn’t seen early on but much is “known” about him as the children tell tall tales about the man.
Atticus is appointed to defend Tom Robinson (portrayed by Brock Peters), a black man accused of raping a white woman. From there on the film takes a bit of a darker turn. The children don’t quite understand the ramifications of what their father has done. Then again, they don’t necessarily see color the way the adults do. Their housekeeper, Calpurnia (portrayed by Estelle Evans) is a motherly figure in their lives and they don’t see the color lines there.
The threat is there, though, and Atticus is not naïve about what the reaction of the town will be to his defending Tom Robinson. At the same time, he knows it has to be done and that he alone in the town is most likely the man’s best defense. He has a different outlook which is demonstrated in subtle ways such as how his children call him “Atticus” and not “father” or “dad”.
To Kill a Mockingbird not only challenges the beliefs of the racism of the era but also tackles a subject that is still a battlefront today with people with learning disabilities. Boo Radley was treated by his family as those who had disabilities were in the day; they were hidden away from the rest of the world as if they were somehow an affront to their own families. The children think nothing of making fun of him and treating him as if he were some sort of monster. It becomes clear he is watching them from the shadows and longs to be a part of their world as he begins leaving presents for them. He is an adult but in many ways, he is still a child, and watching them play freely in the neighborhood is something he longs to do alongside them.
Watching a film like this makes me long for the days when Hollywood made films just like this; deep, meaningful films that spoke to the very core of who we are as human beings and weren’t necessarily driven by an obsession with the bottom line.
The acting here is stellar. There’s not a weak link in the entire cast from Gregory Peck’s magnificent performance as Atticus Finch to the children who act as children and yet draw the viewer into their experience learning that the world is not quite what it seems. Robert Duvall’s performance as Boo is also to be noted as he had to convey everything about the character with no dialogue and does so. The reactions between Duvall and Mary Badham near the end of the film are one of the best scenes I’ve ever come across in a film.
On the DVD, there are a number of extras that really serve to augment the film nicely. The “making of” bonus feature is excellent as it touches not only on the making of the film but also the book and real life. The picture and sound are terrific, and I really enjoyed being able to hear the score this well for the first time in years. It’s a DVD that can sit right alongside the book in a home and be appreciated for the magnificent piece of art that they are.
BONUS MATERIALS:
• Feature Commentary with Director Robert Mulligan and Producer Alan Pakula
· Fearful Symmentry: The Making of To Kill A Mockingbird
· Production Notes
· Cast & Filmmaker Bios
•Theatrical Trailer
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Categories: Movie Reviews
I, too, am disgusted knowing that “To Kill a Mockingbird” is still (in 2024) one of the most challenged books in the U.S. And not just in Southern states, where one might expect it to be a contentious narrative, at least in the eyes of self-described “real American patriots” who want to return the country to a time when Jim Crow laws and lynching were the order of the day.
Back in the 1980-81 school year, I had to read Harper Lee’s novel and, of course, sit through a screening of the 1962 adaptation (on VHS, naturally). This was at a time when the GOP in Florida was only beginning its ascent to where it is now (nearly a one-party hegemony), and there wasn’t a lot of “ban this book” BS in Miami-Dade Public Schools.
I must be honest, Patti. Of the many “assigned reading” novels I had to read between 6th and 12th grades, “TKaM” is one of the few that I enjoyed, both in book and film. (I still have the paperback I had to purchase at Waldenbooks in 10th grade, as well as the two plays – “Macbeth” and “The Taming of the Shrew” – that I studied as a senior two years later.)
It’s also the only “assigned movie” that I have on Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray. That’s how good Richard Mulligan’s movie is (even with its cringey blooper in the voiceover when Scout paraphrases FDR’s “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” line from his inaugural address…Horton Foote, the screenwriter, has the narrator tell us that it’s 1932 and adds the FDR reference, but Roosevelt didn’t say it until March of 1933, so….). I can’t say I watch it regularly; I haven’t broken out the 4K one except to see if it had any playback issues when I bought a few years ago. But I like it enough to have two different formats of it.
My favorite book I read in high school is still Catcher in the Rye. In many ways, I identified with Holden Caulfield and still do at times. TKaM is probably second, and the movie is definitely up there. Hollywood didn’t sensationalize it up the way they have a tendency to do.