Review: To Kill a Mockingbird

Directed by: Robert Mulligan

Written by: Horton Foote

Starring: Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Phillip Alford, Ruth White, Paul Fix, Brock Peters

Rating: [4/5]

Looking back upon our childhood allows for a rosier interpretation of the things we experience, no matter how horrific they may be. From the most acute dramatic moments life has to offer to the woefully traumatic, time allows a dulling of its effects. In To Kill a Mockingbird we receive a look at a time when injustice prevailed but allows for a woman to think about the upstanding nature of her father to stand up during a time when a lack of resistance would have caused less friction. 

In Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s, Scout (Mary Badham) lives with her older brother and widowed father, Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck), who works as an attorney. When an African-American man gets charged with sexually assaulting a white woman, he gets tasked with defending him, which begins to ruffle feathers in the community. 

Adapted from a book most individuals in schools have read because of its timeless message, this feature seeks to bring it to life in a visual manner and does so very successfully by capturing the childlike view of this entire circumstance on top of the severity of what is transpiring in the court case. Therefore, we have the perspective of these children as they come to learn the true horrors of racism and prejudice of a man without fully comprehending why while also having Atticus who must confront this head-on. This transition between the two never misses a beat and allows this feature to thrive in bringing this book to life in a famously well-done manner. 

Scout and Jem (Phillip Alford) navigate their lives just like any child of this era by getting into shenanigans and learning plenty along the way. This occurs not only with how they experience everything happening around this case but the legend of Boo Radley (Robert Duvall) and how they build up this monstrous ideal of this individual and how it genuinely terrifies them. It demonstrates how they take something completely outside of their comprehension and somehow elevate it into something that feels almost otherworldly. Many children experience something similar especially when there’s the creepy house in the neighborhood and legend continues to build for no other reason than it makes for a good story that can get passed down amongst the others. This makes their shenanigans all the more lovable and even more of a contrast to this larger real-world problem happening around them. 

Shifting to Atticus we have a man who genuinely likes helping others as an attorney to the point where the feature demonstrates how he would receive payment by whatever means individuals could provide even if not necessarily monetary. He serves as this upstanding member of society who has the respect of everyone in the community until this case gets put up before him. The expectation those have of him is to do his job as an attorney but to side with the belief this Black man did the crime and help facilitate the eventual guilty charge he will receive. Atticus not only does not go with what’s expected of him, but he begins to poke holes in what looks like a horrific setup of this innocent man, which certainly puts him at odds. The case becomes about more than just the individuals involved but rather a larger societal issue of the rampant racism occurring at the time and how a Black man could possibly receive a fair trial where his jury consists of all white men who most likely harbored the same prejudices as those accusing him of this heinous crime. 

Heralding this feature we have a historically significant performance by Gregory Peck. The man has been involved in so many fantastic films throughout his illustrious career but his portrayal of Atticus Finch remains his magnum opus not only because of the significance of this role in this story but also because he utilizes his booming voice and personality to bring this character to life. From the scenes where he teaches Scout and Jem valuable lessons to the enthralling moments he holds in the courthouse vehemently defending an innocent man from baseless accusations, Peck handles it all incredibly well. Truly a one of a kind actor and he receives the role of a lifetime in portraying one of the great heroes in all of fictional storytelling. 

Handsomely crafted and enjoyable for anyone who has or has not read the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird does everything it needs to in order to tell this impactful story. It beautifully synthesizes the lessons and the innocence surrounding it all as we get to see everything here play out through the eyes of these children. Something quite shocking in moments as they go through some pretty terrifying circumstances in this feature but it only continues to contribute to what makes this such a timeless story.