DVD : To Kill a Mockingbird (Collector's Edition)

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Rating:

- Something new every time!
This is another rendition of an American classic. I had seen this movie and read the book in the past, so was there really anything new this time? We watched it as a school project for my daughter. She watched it as a teenager, my wife watched it as a teacher and I watched it as a lawyer and, for tonight, at least, a part-time tutor. We each saw something in it that we had not appreciated before. For me, the courtroom scenes were interesting, but I identified more with Atticus, the father, than Atticus the lawyer. No matter how often you have watched this in the past, you will find something new to admire when you watch it again. Never stop!

Rating:

- To Kill A Mockingbird
I got this and 3 other movies particularly for my "grand" niece so that she would be exposed to the great film classics of yesteryear. She loved every one of them. I rate this movie 5 stars!

Rating:

- A masterpiece that resonates as strongly today as ever
Perhaps somewhere in the very far future when African Americans and Caucasian Americans have finally learned to see each other as brothers and sisters and not a human of color, then looking back on this film will seem strange and wistful. Until that time, we can do no better than to sit down and read the book and then watch this perfect movie adaptation.

There are other great books and movies that cover the depression years in America. "Grapes of Wrath" comes to mind. Harper Lee's book and this film focus not on the displaced as much as how one person can rise to the occasion, show a strong moral spine and true courage. It would have been too simple to say that the film was about prejudice. Coming to the screen as it did during the rising cauldron of the Civil Rights movement, this film was a perfect mirror for the haunting specter that refused to shed its shadow over the south. In the aftermath of the ruinous Civil War, southern states, especially the Carolina's which led the revolt, suffered very badly during and after the war. In some places poverty and destitution never left the land. What did people do to get by in the depression era? Did they fall back on old ways and use scapegoats to satisfy the blame game? Certainly and that is where the story here begins.

The audience watching this film in 1962 was familiar with prejudice but rarely had it seen a white man treat an African American with respect and a resolute commitment to seeking justice. There are other sinister themes that rise to the surface. The implication of a daughter being beaten by a drunken father, the taboo of a white woman seducing a black man, the injustice done to a mentally handicapped man by shuttering him like a prisoner in his own home; these are all hot buttons that would have made an audience squirm and disquiet their comfort zones. Even more ugly was the false accusation of an honest man, a person that was expected to be found guilty even by his own peers simply because he was a visible minority; this was the deep south and prejudice was so widespread.

The richness of the story gives depth and detail to the lives of Atticus Finch and his fiercely independent children as they explore their lives. With several subplots swirling around the main trial, the audience is given constant stimulation in vivid colors of human drama. Shot in black and white and blessed with a superb script, one of the greatest male actors in the English speaking world, a sublime musical score by Elmer Bernstein, two child actors who were so natural that they became Atticus's children in a real way.....this film is iconic in American cinema and for so many good reasons. Perhaps Gregory Peck's greatest role, this film is unforgettable and has taken on a tinge of greatness that is entirely worthy of its craft. If you must own one Peck film, this is the one. As the saying goes, they simply don't make them like this anymore; what a pity.

Rating:

- A classic in every sense of the word; a film that still rings true today...
I've been intrigued by the idea of `To Kill a Mockingbird' for some time now. Knowing that it is rendered one of the finest cinematic accomplishments of all time had perked my interest early on but it became the movie I wanted to see but never got around to. It's hard to find this little treasure in any rental place, but recently our library received a copy and so I snatched it up the second it was available. Now I must say that I have not read the novel yet. It's on my VERY LONG LIST of `must reads' but I just have yet to reach it. After watching this film though I may have to reach that book a little quicker than anticipated.

I guess the first thing I should say is that everything you've heard about this film is true, all the praise it received was well deserved and every second of it's running time is well worth it. I was absorbed in this film from start to finish.

`To Kill a Mockingbird' broaches the subject of racism in the South during the depression but it's overlaying message of equality and acceptance are what we should all be taking away from this masterpiece. The film revolves around a count case involving a black man accused of raping a white woman. Atticus Finch is the man selected to represent him. The story is told through the eyes of Atticus' children, mostly his daughter Scout. As Scout and her brother Jem battle their own quote-unquote prejudices with a neighborhood boy named Boo Radley they watch their father work to free a man he knows is innocent. Atticus, a widower, works equally hard to instill good morals in his two children and raise them right and this is reflected in their ability to reason on situations, some even too big for them to fully understand.

`To Kill a Mockingbird' has been labeled a classic, and you don't call them classics for nothing. `To Kill a Mockingbird' truly is a downright perfect film. The acting is superb, which is something I never truly expected. I have watched a fair share of older films and have always found that the acting never truly stacks up to the great actors of today, but the performances by Gregory Peck especially rival those of today. Gregory Peck (who won the Oscar for this performance) comes across so natural, so organic here. He reacts as a father would, with subtleties when necessary as well as force. His performance is understandably tempered and it helps aid the message of the film along.

The two young children as well, Mary Badham and Philip Alford, are excellent here. For young actors they grasped their characters exceptionally well. Brock Peters is convincing as Tom Robinson, the black man on trial, and James Anderson is deliciously evil as Robert Ewell, the man accusing him of the crime (against his daughter).

It was also interesting to see a young Robert Duvall here in a very small yet very powerful role. He was truly commanding and played a key part in making this film's message a universal one.

In the end I don't think there are enough good things to be said about `To Kill a Mockingbird'. It's brilliantly scripted, acted and directed and stands the test of time, for while it was released in 1962 it still means something today, 45 years later. `To Kill a Mockingbird' is a film that everyone should see in order to appreciate and one that I highly recommend to anyone with the slightest interest. Don't wait any longer for `To Kill a Mockingbird' is one of those rare films that is actually WORTH the wait!

Rating:

- A must see...
Some great things that happened in the book are left out, but this is still a great movie. Peck is amazing as Atticus; just as I pictured him to be. Scout and Jem are pretty good, too. A classic!

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