To Kill a MockingbirdParents are the blueprints for who their children become. To Kill a Mockingbird is an adaptation of the classic novel of the same name by Harper Lee, and tells the story of the Finch family living in Maycomb, Alabama in the early 1930s. Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) is a widower and attorney caring for his two children, Jean Louise "Scout" Finch (Mary Badham), and Jeremy "Jem" Finch (Phillip Alford). Scout recalls these formative days many years later--with narration by Kim Stanley--including events like her tumultuous first days of school and a racially-charged trial. These moments help her understand her father's character, and develop her own.
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To Kill a Mockingbird is dominated by major themes, despite unfolding in the sleepy town of Maycomb. The trial of Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) for the alleged rape of Mayella Violet Ewell (Collin Wilcox) is an unforgettable and powerful scene that showcases the full range of Atticus's professional acumen--yet the trial and the events leading up to it are not the true story of To Kill a Mockingbird. As with the novel, the film focuses on Scout and Jem's innocent misadventures in and around their home, sometimes in the company of their summertime neighbor, Charles Baker "Dill" Harris (John Megna). The youthful trio's primary diversion is to tempt one another to race along the property of the Radley household, where the infamous and reclusive Arthur "Boo" Radley (Robert Duvall) calls home. The real heart of To Kill a Mockingbird is in how Scout and Jem see their father through the events of the plot--how he reacts and how his actions signify what is right and what is good. Atticus Finch becomes a steadfast beacon of virtue and integrity, aware of the ponderous responsibility he has in raising his two children, although he is aided by his hired maid, Calpurnia (Estelle Evans). Atticus is a "progressive" parent, treating his children with the same respect he would show to an adult, even as their guardian; they in turn address him by his name rather than "dad" or "father". Every scene becomes a lesson for Jem and/or Scout as they watch and learn about the realities of their world through how Atticus reacts to them, and how he explains his actions and principles. Consider when one of Atticus's clients--a poor farmer named Walter Cunningham (Crahan Denton)--delivers a satchel of nuts in lieu of money as compensation for legal counsel. Scout is ignorant of the humiliation Mr. Cunningham feels at being so poor, and runs to fetch Atticus--as any child would when someone comes bearing gifts. Despite Atticus being intelligent, he makes an ironic error in judgment by explaining to Scout how this makes Mr. Cunningham feel bad--consider that Scout is only six. When Scout goes to school, she tries to explain to her teacher about the "entailment" between her father and the Cunninghams, and is subsequently reprimanded. She blames Mr. Cunningham's son, Walter, Jr. (Steve Condit), for being yelled at and attacks him, prompting Jem to intervene. Jem tries to patch up the misunderstanding by inviting Walter, Jr. to their house for dinner, which he enthusiastically accepts; yet Scout criticizes him during dinner for using too much syrup--an innocuous moment that speaks to deeper themes in the story. The community of Maycomb appears good and decent, but an undercurrent of social stigmas lingers in the wake of the stock market crash of 1929; Atticus shares that it has affected folks like the Cunninghams more than the Finches. Scout subconsciously identifies this rift that separates people--the same kind of cognitive error that cultivated the perception of blacks as second-class citizens, leading to the trial of Tom Robinson at the behest of the vicious racist and drunk, Robert E. Lee "Bob" Ewell (James Anderson).
Any unconscious prejudice that exists within Scout (and Jem) only extends as far as their fear and apprehension of things they don't understand; they are naive to the cruelties lurking within the hearts of men like Bob Ewell. The horror stories they share--along with Dill's Aunt Stephanie (Alice Ghostley)--about Boo Radley being some kind of maniac who should have been committed a long time ago are meant to unnerve not attack. They whisper to one another that he stabbed his father with a pair of scissors or was chained in the basement of the courthouse, all of which have no evidence of being true. Atticus would not likely tolerate this talk about the Radleys, but Jem and Scout's impressionable minds have absorbed these fears as though from the town's collective unconsciousness. This is why Atticus is so deliberate in comporting himself with only the most respectable behavior, even when he is provoked by Bob Ewell. Consider when a rabid dog wanders down the street toward the Finch's home, and Atticus is called upon to put it down with a rifle. The town's sheriff, Heck Tate (Frank Overton), comments afterward that Atticus--who had been evading giving Jem a gun--is the "best shot in town"; yet Atticus has withheld this detail from his children. Jem admires his father even more after this, and makes a point to follow him into every challenging encounter, learning what it means to be a man of honor. This includes standing by him when a lynch mob comes to the jailhouse for Tom, or when Atticus goes to visit Tom's family--before and after the trial. To Kill a Mockingbird addresses one of the most difficult lessons in life: innocence is not a defense against the evil of others. This is felt the strongest in the trial of Tom Robinson; despite Atticus's deft, logic-driven defense, and a patronizing cross-examination by the district attorney, Horace Gilmer (William Windom)--who refers to Tom as "boy" while on the stand--Atticus loses the case. The implication is that it was solely due to the racial prejudices of the jury--even the judge, John Taylor (Paul Fix), is visibly disappointed by the verdict when it is read. Atticus does not lose control of his emotions, in spite of the injustice--he doesn't even when he learns that Tom is tragically killed while trying to flee police custody, because he knows it would not be "right" to do so. But this unflinching drive to do only what is right threatens to become a critical flaw in Atticus, and the final scenes in To Kill a Mockingbird underscore this. Jem and Scout are attacked by Bob Ewell after taking a shortcut through the woods on Halloween night; Boo Radley rescues them and stabs Bob to death in the process. When Atticus learns of this, he anticipates a trial for Boo, because serving justice is what is "right"; Sheriff Tate's response is to cover it up because dragging the reclusive savior of his children into the public eye would be "a sin". Scout understands this and in her own way teaches her father about the central theme in To Kill a Mockingbird--that doing what is "right" is not always what is "good", and that law and justice do not always operate in tandem.
Recommended for: Fans of a coming-of-age story about the challenges of protecting innocence when confronted by moral complexities and injustices of adulthood. To Kill a Mockingbird also explores themes of racial and economic inequality and the fear and prejudice that comes with it. As with the novel, the movie's legacy can be felt in the works of some of film and literature's most beloved storytellers--from Steven Spielberg to Stephen King.
Any unconscious prejudice that exists within Scout (and Jem) only extends as far as their fear and apprehension of things they don't understand; they are naive to the cruelties lurking within the hearts of men like Bob Ewell. The horror stories they share--along with Dill's Aunt Stephanie (Alice Ghostley)--about Boo Radley being some kind of maniac who should have been committed a long time ago are meant to unnerve not attack. They whisper to one another that he stabbed his father with a pair of scissors or was chained in the basement of the courthouse, all of which have no evidence of being true. Atticus would not likely tolerate this talk about the Radleys, but Jem and Scout's impressionable minds have absorbed these fears as though from the town's collective unconsciousness. This is why Atticus is so deliberate in comporting himself with only the most respectable behavior, even when he is provoked by Bob Ewell. Consider when a rabid dog wanders down the street toward the Finch's home, and Atticus is called upon to put it down with a rifle. The town's sheriff, Heck Tate (Frank Overton), comments afterward that Atticus--who had been evading giving Jem a gun--is the "best shot in town"; yet Atticus has withheld this detail from his children. Jem admires his father even more after this, and makes a point to follow him into every challenging encounter, learning what it means to be a man of honor. This includes standing by him when a lynch mob comes to the jailhouse for Tom, or when Atticus goes to visit Tom's family--before and after the trial. To Kill a Mockingbird addresses one of the most difficult lessons in life: innocence is not a defense against the evil of others. This is felt the strongest in the trial of Tom Robinson; despite Atticus's deft, logic-driven defense, and a patronizing cross-examination by the district attorney, Horace Gilmer (William Windom)--who refers to Tom as "boy" while on the stand--Atticus loses the case. The implication is that it was solely due to the racial prejudices of the jury--even the judge, John Taylor (Paul Fix), is visibly disappointed by the verdict when it is read. Atticus does not lose control of his emotions, in spite of the injustice--he doesn't even when he learns that Tom is tragically killed while trying to flee police custody, because he knows it would not be "right" to do so. But this unflinching drive to do only what is right threatens to become a critical flaw in Atticus, and the final scenes in To Kill a Mockingbird underscore this. Jem and Scout are attacked by Bob Ewell after taking a shortcut through the woods on Halloween night; Boo Radley rescues them and stabs Bob to death in the process. When Atticus learns of this, he anticipates a trial for Boo, because serving justice is what is "right"; Sheriff Tate's response is to cover it up because dragging the reclusive savior of his children into the public eye would be "a sin". Scout understands this and in her own way teaches her father about the central theme in To Kill a Mockingbird--that doing what is "right" is not always what is "good", and that law and justice do not always operate in tandem.
Recommended for: Fans of a coming-of-age story about the challenges of protecting innocence when confronted by moral complexities and injustices of adulthood. To Kill a Mockingbird also explores themes of racial and economic inequality and the fear and prejudice that comes with it. As with the novel, the movie's legacy can be felt in the works of some of film and literature's most beloved storytellers--from Steven Spielberg to Stephen King.