Classic Movie Review:To Kill A Mockingbird

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  Being the film buff that I am, I have somehow managed to not see the film classic TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. That changed when I recently read the book by Harper Lee. Wonderful book. I highly recommend it. Curious to see how the film version compared to the book, I made my way to the local Library and checked out a copy of the film. What fol
lows are my thoughts on this beautiful and haunting film about lost innocence and racism.
   TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD stars Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1963. It's directed by Richard Mulligan, who went on to direct the 1991 film THE MAN IN THE MOON, which I also recommend. The screenplay is written by screenwriting legend Horton Foote,  who also picked up an Oscar for adapting the novel into this film classic.
   With all the known pedigree out of the way, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is the story of lost innocence in the 1930's deep south. It was a different time compared to now, where children ran the streets all day long, sometimes into the night, free of being abducted by strangers. One thing that remains the same unfortunately is racism. The story is told from the a child's point of view, Scout Finch, a feisty girl, who would rather wear overalls and sneakers than wear a dress and fancy shoes. One summer evening, the County Judge comes to ask her father, a county lawyer, to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman. This is where I will stop with the story details for those, like myself, until recently, have not seen or read this classic story.
   Gregory Peck is phenomenal in the role of Atticus Finch.  His portrayal of Finch is of a man who is almost extinct in today's time. He's a man who stands for Godly principals and is not afraid of the moral decay he faces on a daily basis.
  Horton Foote's adaptation of Harper Lee's novel is as faithful as you could hope. There are a few differences in the novel verses the film that aren't really important to get into here, but it does make for a great discussion. Foote's screenplay is masterful to say the least.
 One more thing that I was stuck by with MOCKINGBIRD is Elmer Bernstein's beautiful and haunting score. It captures, at least to me, the wonder and loss of childhood innocence. Beautiful score.
  If you are like me and somehow have not seen this classic film, then I strongly urge you do so. After 52 years, it still stands the test of time. You could say that children would never run around at night by themselves without their parents knowing. And I say this to you. Those were different times, where we were able to hold on to our childhood innocence longer than the children today. I remember the days of running the streets until way after dark in the summertime and having the best times of my life. This film captures the beauty and tragedy of those times.
  I give TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD an A+.

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