Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Harper Lee, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is a beguiling indictment of bigotry and much, much more. There is so much going on in this film that to boil it down to one theme is very hard. To say it's about learning to walk in another man's shoes to understand what they are like is to neglect the equally powerful coming of age, loss of innocence and noble parenting themes that are part of its power.
The story is told from the point of view of the children of small town lawyer Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck, GUNS OF NAVARONE). Scout (Mary Badham, THIS PROPERTY IS CONDEMNED) is his tomboy daughter, who also narrates the film as a recollection. Jem (Phillip Alford, SHENANDOAH) is his older son, who gets into a fair share of trouble, but spends a greater deal of his time keeping his sister out of worse fixes. For the summer, they become friends with a peculiar young boy named Dill Harris (John Megna, THE CANNONBALL RUN). They inform Dill about the many legends of their town. Mean old Mrs. Dubose (Ruth White, MIDNIGHT COWBOY) hides a Confederate pistol under her lap blanket when sitting on her porch. Nathan Radley (Richard Hale, BEN-HUR) is the meanest man in town and keeps his grown son Boo (Robert Duvall, APOCALYPSE NOW) locked up in the basement because he's dangerous. The Radley house is a constant realm of fear for which only the bravest kid dares to go on the porch or peer into the window.
Then Atticus gets the rough job of defending the black man Tom Robinson (Brock Peters, PORGY AND BESS), who is accused of beating and raping white woman Mayella Violet Ewell (Collin Wilcox Paxton, 1970's CATCH-22). Mayella's father Bob (James Anderson, LITTLE BIG MAN) fuels racist hatred in the community against Tom. Atticus not only has to protect his client, but his family against the ugliness that begins to brew around the case.
Atticus Finch was named by the American Film Institute as the greatest American screen hero for good reason. It's not only the crowning achievement of Peck's career, but one of the crowning achievements of any actor. His Oscar for best actor is more than well deserved. He brings a quiet nobility and dignity to the character. He's the model father. The film could stand in for a Parenting 101 course.
While I'm on acting, I must note the amazing performances of the three young actors Badham, Alford and Megna. For a very long time, child actors were very mannered, but long before more natural child performers were common along came this trio who without the film would not have the same power. They become their characters and act as kids do. They also have the advantage of having roles written for kids, not kid roles written like they are little adults. Badham is so natural it is hard to think that she is not just like Scout in real life. Additionally, Brock Peters delivers his speeches in the courtroom with searing intensity without theatrics. It's also a pleasure to see Duvall in an early role as the quiet misunderstood misfit.
Director Robert Mulligan had been a veteran TV director before moving into features. Outside of this film, nothing else on his resume really sticks out. For me the only other film I've seen is the great loss of innocence film, THE MAN IN THE MOON, staring a young Reese Witherspoon. Mulligan knows what it's like to be a tween. In both MOCKINGBIRD and MOON, he captures how kids think and feel about the world around them. In MOCKINGBIRD, he has the patience to really build the feeling of what its like to take a dare. He knows that its part testing one's fear as well as curiosity for the unknown. Atticus wants to shelter his children from the ugliness of the world, but knows that they will be exposed to it no matter what and that he won't be able to protect them forever. He doesn't hide the truth, but addresses difficult issues when they need to be addressed with honesty.
Screenwriter Horton Foote (1992's OF MICE AND MEN) does a great job of making the script retain its literary feel while becoming cinematic at the same time. Scout's voice over preserves the poetry of Lee's prose, while the dialogue feels natural. Atticus' closing argument is one for the ages. But also notice the subtly of other moments like what Atticus says to Tom after the trail (it says a lot about how he understands the way his world works as well as how amazing a lawyer and man he really is to not let others know he knows how ugly the world really is) and the sad story Atticus must tell to the children after the court case is through (we know he doesn't believe a single word of what he is saying).
Everyone comes together to make some of the iconic moments of the film. Atticus' walk from the courtroom will choke anybody up. Atticus sitting on the stoop of the jail waiting for a mob to arrive. Scout in the ham costume. Jem getting his pants caught on the fence. Boo Radley. One of the great movies — one finds new things to cherish each time you see it. It's rich like life. It understands that our world isn't black or white, so Atticus Finch stands as a beacon of light in a gray world.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
