Reviews of To Kill a Mockingbird

My Favourite Movie!!!!

Posted : 11 months, 2 weeks ago on 4 January 2009 03:02 (A review of To Kill a Mockingbird)

'To Kill a Mockingbird' is my favourite film in history. I loved the book, I loved the movie. Everything about this production is terrific. I watch it a lot and never get sick of it.

Set in the old 30's in America, the plot is built on how black men were treated and were looked upon as different back then. Peck (in his Oscar winning performance) plays Atticus Finch, a powerful lawyer who is hired to defend a black man accused of raping a young girl. Peck is the ultimate father figure and gives a memorable performance (for which he won an Oscar) that shall be remembered through this generation of filmmaking.

Shot back in 1960's it is presented in black and white, but thankfully the film hasn't dated and is still an extremely well made movie. It has great acting and great directing from Robert Mulligan (who recently died).

This masterpiece is another prime example of how such a classic movie can still be respected and looked upon as a work of cinematic art during modern days.

0 comments, Reply to this entry

The courts are the great levellers

Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 14 September 2008 09:15 (A review of To Kill a Mockingbird)

Watching the film was the logical next step after reading the novel. Although the film was in the IMDb Top 250 list, I wondered if it achieved that status purely because of the worldwide acclaim of the book. I needn't have worried. The story is so strong that it would have been extremely difficult to mess up a film adaptation, although in the end, it is still a thoroughly enjoyable experience in its own right.

The plot is just about world-famous by now, considering this book pervades English Literature syllabuses across the globe. Gregory Peck plays Atticus Finch, a single father who lives with his two children and a housekeeper. It is the 1930s and Atticus is given the task of defending a black man against allegations of rape from a white woman in the chronically racist Alabamian deep south. Hardly an enviable task. As a result, he is vilified by the town and blasted with sickening racist jibes.

The story is told from the point of view of his daughter. As well as her relationship with her father, her experiences with her brother and their childhood friends are also regaled. I anticipated, as a result, a cringe-worthy handful of child-actors playing the important parts. Thankfully, the acting from the youngsters in this film utterly blows away the unbearable and painful experiences we are subjected to by today's standards. When you watch a Harry Potter film, let's be fair, you can't enjoy such torrid acting, but here it is a complete non-issue.

Gregory Peck is the star of the show though. As Atticus, he is a man so righteous that even Jesus probably would have asked him for advice. His voice could probably have stopped a world war it was so comforting and authoritative. He is the perfect bastion of morality and an exemplary human being for his children. His courtroom scene is extremely rousing, with most of his lines being lifted directly from the book. He is ideal personification of Atticus, exactly the sort of character I imagined whilst reading the book.

There are a few differences between the novel and the movie adaptation. Whereas in the book, Atticus' children are subjected to the hate-filled rants of the townsfolk, it is only Atticus who receives abuse in the film. And it's mild at that. There is also no mention of the Finch's extended family, but as a result you have a much more concise and refined story. In all it is a fantastic adaptation which remains faithful to the novel and more importantly, it portrays Atticus brilliantly as the absolute legend that he is!

0 comments, Reply to this entry