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Summary: Peck is Perfect
Review: This is probably the best movie I have ever seen, and I've seen a lot. Gregory Peck gives the single greatest acting performance of all time as Atticus Finch. He expresses Atticus's virility, confidence, and modesty, as well as his struggles to raise two children without a mother with unparalleled complexity. His performance captures fully the essence of Harper Lee's Atticus: a kind, caring man, split between an inherently racist town and an obligation to raise his children as best he can. The ensemble acting is also especially good, especially the children's, and the score is terrific. Also, Mockingbird has possibly the best, most riviting court scene of any movie. Simply a great movie that stands up to repeated viewings. It's a shame that it isn't at least in the top 10 of AFI's top 100 movies.
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Summary: Outstanding film and the documentaries are a big plus.
Review: The other reviews on this film rave about the content and the production values - and I agree. But I want to emphasize the transfer to DVD was done with a great deal of care and has made me discard my videotape. A tremendous plus is the documentary section - describing the village and the characters. I have found out that the arthor's home town produces this play every year using village people and a courthouse that has been preserved. This DVD has convinced me to visit the town next Spring for this production! END
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Summary: IT WAS GREAT! VERY POWERFUL AND MOVING! READ THIS BOOK.
Review: The story was of truth. It focused on the issue of racism and depression. It was moving had me in tears every other page. I was in awe. Pages were well written. The power flowed from page to page.I could not stop reading I just had to know what was going to happen next. You should read this book if you have not read it. I was drawn to it every day. END
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Summary: A wonderful film, with exemplary DVD extras.
Review: Packages like this are why I bought a DVD player. This "Collector's Edition" includes a crystal clear, widescreen presentation of the classic film. The performances by Gregory Peck and especially the children in the film are as immediate today as they were when the film was made in 1962. The "making of" documentary that's included is fascinating; it includes interviews with Peck, the now-grown actors who played his children, the director, producer and others. It makes a great companion for the film and adds a tremendous amount of insight to both the process of turning the book into a film, as well as the atmosphere of rural Alabama during the depression. END
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Summary: wonderful movie, from page to screen
Review: I read this book when it first came out and I loved it so when the movie came out I wanted to see it. The scrip writers did not change anything. It was as if they just wrote the movie scrip right from the book. This is a first. Nothing was changed. A wonderful book & a wonderful movie. Do see it.
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Summary: A HAUNTING AND BEAUTIFUL FILM
Review: "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD" is one of my favourite books and a favourite movie of mine. This is one of the few books I read where I really felt that I knew the characters; it was as if the town of Maycomb came alive in my head! Gregory Peck's portrayal of Atticus is inspired and brilliant. I thought Colin Wilcox was exceptional as Violet Ewell. My favourite performer and character, however is Scout (as I'm sure author Harper Lee intended). Mary Badham is just phenomenonal as Scout! (Badham still receives fan mail from all over the world from fans of her portrayal) She was perfect for the role as she was a real - life Southerner and, having never acted in films before, a complete natural. I loved the character of Scout in the book and I love her in the movie. I've known and heard of girls who empathised and related to her so much that they nicknamed themselves "Scout". Harper Lee must have been pleased with Mary Badham's performance which I think is a classic of it's kind. Philip Alford is almost as good as Jem; together they are quite believable as brother and sister. Here comes my one disappointment in the casting :why did they chose John Megna to play Dill? In the book he was a towhead and not at all like the actor portraying him (he was really Truman Capote, you know) The kids want to catch a glimpse of Boo Radley and instead they are intruded upon by a great shadow of an unknown hulk of man - it's one of the truly scary scenes. Aunt Alexandria is totally omitted from the film which I'm not sure is advantageous or not. Ruth White is great as the crotchety Mrs. Dubose, however she too, had more to do in the book, where it was revealed that she was a morphine addict. Alice Ghostley is funny as Dill's Aunt Stephanie who warns sternly about the dangers of hanging around the Radley place. Brock Peters is terrific as Tom Robinson, and Estelle Evans is wonderful as the much-loved Calpurnia. I firmly believe that the score by Elmer Bernstein is one of the most beautifully haunting of ANY score done for a film and totally appropriate to the movie.(The original AVA label soundtrack record is a much sought after collector's item). The scene where Scout says "Hey,Boo" still makes the tears flow freely, be forewarned and keep the kleenex handy!
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Summary: Destruction of the innocent by the evils of the society
Review: Destruction of the innocent by the evils of the society
Kuldip Kumar Garhwal"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but... sing their heart out for us. That's why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird." The movie 'To kill a mockingbird' depicts the destruction of the innocent by the evils of the society. Mockingbird is a symbol of innocence, characterized by Tom Robinson and Arthur Radley (Boo) where racial prejudice and ignorance are the symbol of evils in the society. Tom Robinson, an African-American is accused by Mayela, a white woman, of sexual molestation. Atticus, a prominent lawyer of the town Maycomb, has proved that Tom Robinson is innocent but still the "all-white jury" convicts Robinson of the guilt. Tom Robinson, a "quite humble respectable Negro", becomes the victim of racial prejudice. Arthur Radley (Boo) has been emotionally destroyed by his father, as his father did not let him step outside the house. Boo is one of the "mockingbirds" in the story, who is the victim of ignorance; evil of the society which is trying to kill the good. Boo had a deep affection for children, which is later displayed in the story, when Boo saves Jim and Scout from Bob Ewells. "There are some men in the world who are born to do unpleasant jobs for us; your father is one of them", said Maudie to Jim after his father (Atticus) lost the case of Tom Robinson. Atticus helped his children to learn values of life and he showed them how to live life by the values; preaching by practicing. Atticus allowed his children to call him by his name instead of 'father'. He wanted his children to explore freedom, but also taught them to stay in limits. Jim is brave, intelligent, and caring. He learns courage, dignity, and value of life from his father. He is transforming into adulthood. Scout is still a kid; she does not know anything about the existence of evil in the society. She is learning about evils from the real life example of the victims (Tom and Boo) of the evils in the society. By the end of the story Scout's perspective on life develops from that of an innocent child into that of a near grown up. "Mr. Tate was right", said Scout to Atticus, after Mr. Tate, the town Sheriff explained Atticus indirectly that whatever Boo did was correct and he is not supposed to be punished for that. "It would be like shooting the mockingbird, wouldn't it." Scout shows a high level of ability to comprehend at the age of five, and understands the whole situation and judges what is right and what is wrong. The Music Director of the movie has done an excellent job. Music plays an important role in the movie, by setting the mood for what is been screened. The movie starts with a musical note, which seems like it is played by a kid, one note at a time. The movie also has gothic music to create the horrifying or thrilling environment, when Jim and Scout were walking home after the Halloween Party and they had an encounter with Bob Ewells. Most of the places the movie has melancholy music to produce the feeling of thoughtful sadness. The pleasant arrangements of musical notes in the movie create an atmosphere where we feel that we are a part of the movie, and we go back into our nostalgic memories and look back into our childhood. The movie itself seems like a mockingbird song. My favorite scene in the movie is when Atticus is walking out of the courtroom after the trial is over and all the "colored" people sitting in the balcony stands up to pay respect to Atticus, a white man, who tried his level best to save a "Negro." The Reverend says to Scout who was sitting, "Stand up Jean Louise. Your father is passing." The scene says it all, there is not much dialogue but the expressions on the faces of the black people was marvelous, with a slow melancholy music at the background. As it this situation there is nothing left to say, because everyone knows in the courtroom that Tom Robinson is not guilty but still the jury has convicted him of the rape, just because of racial prejudice. _____________________________________________ Kuldip Kumar Garhwal(...)
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Summary: Southern Comfort
Review: This 1962 black and white film is based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning book "To Kill a Mockingbird". Gregory Peck won an Oscar for his wonderful performance as Atticus Finch, a lawyer in Alabama during the Depression. Atticus is appointed to defend a black man who is accused of raping a white woman. Many townspeople try to get Atticus to back out of the trial but his conscience won't let him. Though Tom Robinson (the accused) is obviously innocent, the outcome of his trail is blatant proof of how prevalent prejudice is at that time. Mr. Finch's conviction to defend Tom costs him some friendships but gains him respect among the black community and the admiration of his children. You just cannot go wrong with this movie. It shows how kids adapt to very serious situations around them but manage to keep the innocence. Gregory Peck should be a role model for us all. He shows us to stand true to our convictions no matter how hard that may seem. Winning the approval of others does not take the place of following what's in your heart. I give him a standing ovation and 5 stars.
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Summary: A timeless classic.
Review: "To Kill a Mockingbird" is one of the finest movies ever made. This screen adaptation of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning novel is extremely powerfull and has something for everyone. It offers so many "life lessons" that you will be able to learn something each time you watch it. Gregory Peck is brilliant as Atticus Finch, a lawyer and widowed fathter of two young children in the in the post-depression South. He's powerfull but at the same time humble as he simply does the "right thing" as a lawyer and as a father raising his children in the racially charged South. As Atticus Finch's children, Mary Badham and Phillip Alford give superb performances as "Scout" and "Jem" as they deal with all of life's complexities at thier age. Other notables are Robert Duvall and Estelle Evans in supporting integral roles in the storyline. The exquisite screenplay by Horton Foote's and touching score by Elmer Bernstein's puts you 'into' the movie skillfully bringing out emotions along the way. In all, Mockingbird ranks as one of the finest movies of all time and should be a "must have" in your video collection.
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Summary: About Childhood and Justice
Review: The movie To Kill A Mockingbird, like the book, transports one to an ideal childhood with a perfect parent. I loved the experience of entering that ideal family's world, especially the vivid atmosphere of the children's daily life in their town and era, and the subtle ways the children are led to discover the truth about some of their mysterious neighbors.
At the end the way the viewer, through the children's eyes, himself discovers such a truth and experiences with them a moment of revelation--the sort of unforgettably meaningful moment that is a milestone in the road to growing up--drives home the theme: it is wrong to pre-judge, it is just to defend the innocent "mockingbirds" of the human race. The bending of rules at the end to protect one such mockingbird is utterly right and is justice; finally, a good, even heroic, act is rewarded.
It is to me a nearly perfect film adaptation, capturing the book's mood and spirit and meaning exactly. I only wish that the movie could have been a 1962 miniseries (there were none then) so it could have had every scene from the book. I never wanted the book to end.
My one small complaint about the film is that the courtroom scenes are presented a bit too much like a filmed stage play or a TV drama of the time, not as vividly realistic in its direction as the rest of the film. The actors playing the Ewells are also not up to the level of the other actors, reducing the quality and believability of the courtroom scenes.
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