To Kill a Mockingbird [PG]

In a small town in Alabama during the Depression there lives a widowed lawyer, Atticus Finch, and his two children, Jem and Scout. Over the course of a summer, Jem and Scout embark upon the biggest journey of their lives as they watch their father bravely take on the challenge of defending a wrongly accused Negro charged with the rape of a white woman. As the trial turns into the talk of the town, dividing it in the process, Jem and Scout learn some painful lessons about moral courage and some cruel facts about the way of the world. 

Armed with its Academy award-winning performance from Gregory Peck, a heartbreakingly beautiful soundtrack by Elmer Bernstein, and its courageous and beautiful stories within stories, To Kill a Mockingbird, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, is a most beautiful film: mesmerising, frightening, and heartbreaking. I was crying a river during the last few scenes. 

In a small town in Alabama during the Depression there lives a widowed lawyer, Atticus Finch, and his two children, Jem and Scout. Over the course of a summer, Jem and Scout embark upon the biggest journey of their lives as they watch their father bravely take on the challenge of defending a wrongly accused Negro charged with the rape of a white woman. As the trial turns into the talk of the town, dividing it in the process, Jem and Scout learn some painful lessons about moral courage and some cruel facts about the way of the world. 

To Kill a Mockingbird is beautiful because it looks at all these different stories; there are a lot individual journeys that are crammed into it. 

First we have the story of Atticus defending the case of a Negro in a town and a time that is coated with bigotry. Atticus’ story is a beautiful one of compassion and moral courage and Gregory Peck’s performance as Atticus Finch was absolutely superb! In the courthouse he’s fearless and passionate, up there with James Stewart in Anatomy of a Murder and when he’s with the kids he’s tender and protective, but at the same time he doesn’t patronize or dumb down for them: he treats them just like adults and it’s absolutely beautiful! 

Coinciding with Atticus’ story is the story of Jem’s journey from childhood to adulthood. On the cusp of adolescence, Jem has reached a point where he sees his father differently than when he was younger: he sees Atticus as old and, being too young to completely understand the racial implications to the case that Atticus is defending, he doesn’t see him as a brave man at all. But a number of events slowly make Jem realise what his father really is and it’s a beautiful scene where you can see this realisation dawn on him. Phillip Alford beautifully plays the character of Jem and I reckon that he should’ve received an Academy Award for it he was that brilliant! 

The film is seen from the perspective of young Scout, whose adult self narrates occasionally over the top. Playing the character of Scout is Mary Badham and she delivers a most lovely performance, being a girl raised in a family of men and thus being a little bit of a tomboy. Her innocence and naivety throughout the movie is just enchanting, especially during a particular tense adult scene where her words shame grown men to their senses. You cannot help but fall in love with these children because both of them are so genuine and bring a strong sense of realism to the film. 

Starring John Megna, Frank Overton, Rosemary Murphy, Ruth White, Brock Peters, Estelle Evans, Paul Fix, Collin Wilcox Paxton, James Anderson, Alice Ghostley, and Robert Duvall as the reclusive Boo Radley, To Kill a Mockingbird is a simply superb film that’s filled with bigotry, all kinds of courage, drama, a few frightening bits, and lots of tenderness. I absolutely adore it and am proud to have in my collection.