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Why ban them? Then, we might be spared what is possibly the most infantile, ignorant and uninformed collection of negative reviews present on Amazon.
I originally intended to post a review a few weeks ago after I had viewed it on cable, but for some reason I decided to read the negative views (both book and movie) to see why in the world anyone could condemn either. Afterwards, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I decided to laugh, but with an undertone of sadness.
A few examples of the absurd negative comments follow (with my own comments in parenthesis):
"Every copy of this book should be burned and never allowed to be read again." (Ah, the sweet smell of scorched paper around the bonfires. Armbands optional?)
"Yuk! Try to avoid reading this book as much as possible. . . . [I]t is confusing . . . and there is too much information given at one time." (You had me at "Yuk!")
"Thanks to all my friendswho had to tourchure threw reading this disgrace and supporting me in not likeing the book. By the way, DO NOT BUY, because if i find it in your house i won't think to kindly of you." (I tremble in terror and weep in shame at what you would think of my bookshelves.)
"Talk about a bad movie i would only buy it if someone paid me twice it's value to." (I don't think this is what was meant by the "new math.")
And, my favorite: "Do not watch, do not read ... stay ignorant of Harper Lee." (I suspect, young reader, that you have succeeded far beyond Harper Lee.)
Sorry to review the reviews, but now I actually have something serious to say about the movie and book.
Years before the publication of Harper Lee's novel, there was a trial in a small southern Mississippi town in 1945. A black man named Willie McGee was accused of the rape of a white woman. The circumstantial evidence pointed strongly to the possibility that the relationship was forced by the woman. Just as in "To Kill a Mockingbird," such a relationship at the time could not - would not - be tolerated. The case attracted national attention at the time, and after a prolonged series of appeals (spearheaded by former New York Congresswoman, Bella Abzug), a public execution was staged, which was no more than a legally sanctioned lynching. The state's portable electric chair was installed in the courthouse, which was filled to standing room only. Outside spectators climbed trees to gain a look at the execution through the opened windows. (A white Mississippi attorney, Dixon Pyles, also took part in the defense, so Atticus Finch is not without a foundation in fact.)
The Scottsboro trials have been cited as the main inspiration for Lee's novel, but I've often wondered if the McGee trial might not also have played a role. But it really doesn't matter. Fiction is often more suited to tell the truth than history. And the truth is that although many people in the South knew Jim Crow laws and lynchings were wrong, they also knew that if you were vocal about it, you could lose your job - or your life, which is what makes the portrait of Atticus Finch a true profile in courage, a Southern Gothic version of Sir Thomas Moore in "A Man For All Seasons."
But beyond the racial themes, both the book and the movie weave a gentle tapestry of what life in the South was like before air-conditioning, where games were things to be played outdoors rather than in front of computers, a discarded tire was an endlessly renewable resource for entertainment and summers seemed to last forever. (I've lived what I'm talking about.)
What saddens me about the negative reviews such as I quoted above is not their ignorance, but the lack of curiosity they display about our nation's history. I do, however, fervently hope that the young reviewer who urged the burning of all copies of the book is oblivious of the historical events he or she evoked and will someday realize the horror of what such comments endorse.
Ten stars if I could.
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This DVD provides clear images and speech. In addition to the complete motion picture, there are a question and answer session by Gregory Peck (Atticus Finch), an interview with the adult Mary Badham (Scout Finch), and other offerings.
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What can really be written about this wonderful film that hasn't already been said since its release on December 25th 1962?
One can write that this has to be one of Gregory Peck's greatest performances portraying the memorable Atticus Finch with such believability that Peck attempted time and again to shed "Atticus" as an actor, even as an established one for twenty years, asking for "villain" roles and being turned down until The Boys From Brazil, Atticus Finch was a role made for Gregory Peck as the actor can play the sensitive, caring man of integrity with utter ease and did so for several films following To Kill a Mockingbird, such as "Behold a Pale Horse" (1964) "Mirage" (1965) and "Arabesque" (1966).
Harper Lee's novel addresses many issues for its time including racism and entrenched prejudice against the black American in the deep south before and during The Great Depression and after...as an audience of the film, we are exposed to the necessity of pursuing virtue as human beings and what it really means and how important it is to have basic good manners in one's life; what it means to reach for and practice goodness and have core beliefs and in the end, standing firm by those beliefs against overwhelming opposition. The film also shows us the need to walk a mile in another person's shoes before making any judgements on them, or as Atticus says to Scout... "Until you step inside their skin and walk around a little..."
The magnificent performance of Mary Badham as the irrepressible Scout won her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress only to miss out to Patty Duke in her stunning role in The Miracle Worker Considering both performances, Duke and Badham (both children) should have won a Joint Oscar as both were absolutely magnificent in their respective roles.
When the Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee was published, a somewhat recent bio of the author, Lee was asked about the character, Atticus Finch, and was he based on her actual attorney father, she said that Atticus of course was based on her father, but she embellished and added, creating a new character, a father and man she believed would be the ideal father & human being living under the circumstances presented in the novel.
Despite this film opening forty years ago, the story and performances continue to be a model for present day filmmaking...beginning with a great story, a well adapted screenplay, a director who loves the project thus all in the crew give 100%, and the same basic example of virtue and integrity communicated in the novel and adapted for the screen: compassion, kindness, courage, respect and love.
Truly one of the all time great films of the twentieth century...something to show the children, something to learn.
A Bright 5 Stars.
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One of the best movies of all time. Excellent story, excellent acting, and excellent message.
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This movie will set you back in time and make you sit on the edge of your seat! A Blast from the past..or is it? I am sure injustice is happening somewhere even today! Some innocent person receiving a death sentence for no reason other than just being there...the wrong place at the wrong time!
A Classic. Enjoy!
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