Editorial Review:Amazon.com essential video:Ranked 34 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest American Films,
To Kill a Mockingbird is quite simply one of the finest family-oriented dramas ever made. A beautiful and deeply affecting adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, the film retains a timeless quality that transcends its historically dated subject matter (racism in the Depression-era South) and remains powerfully resonant in present-day America with its advocacy of tolerance, justice, integrity, and loving, responsible parenthood. It's tempting to call this an important 'message' movie that should be required viewing for children and adults alike, but this riveting courtroom drama is anything but stodgy or pedantic. As Atticus Finch, the small-town Alabama lawyer and widower father of two, Gregory Peck gives one of his finest performances with his impassioned defense of a black man (Brock Peters) wrongfully accused of the rape and assault of a young white woman. While his children, Scout (Mary Badham) and Jem (Philip Alford), learn the realities of racial prejudice and irrational hatred, they also learn to overcome their fear of the unknown as personified by their mysterious, mostly unseen neighbor Boo Radley (Robert Duvall, in his brilliant, almost completely nonverbal screen debut). What emerges from this evocative, exquisitely filmed drama is a pure distillation of the themes of Harper Lee's enduring novel, a showcase for some of the finest American acting ever assembled in one film, and a rare quality of humanitarian artistry (including Horton Foote's splendid screenplay and Elmer Bernstein's outstanding score) that seems all but lost in the chaotic morass of modern cinema.
--Jeff Shannon
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RACIALLY TORN ALABAMA
To Kill a Mockingbird (Collector's Edition)
Lone fathers and their kids have been a hit in many movies. I have severl examples, like, Ryan and Tatum O'Neil in Paper Moon, Jon Voight and Ricky Schroeder in the re-make of 'The Champ' and Dustin Hoffman and Justin Henry in Kramer vs Kramer. Gregory Peck, won an Academy Award, for playing a sole parent, and he's never been better. The script for this movie was based upon Harper Lee's sensitive and intelligent novel set in racially-torn Alabama. Gregory Peck, plays Atticus Finch, a wise lawyer bravely raising his two kids Jem(Phillip Alford) and Scout(Mary Badham) in the hot-headed Southern town. The crux of the plot is Finch's defence of a colored man accused of rape. The film was put together by two excellent film-makers, producer Alan J. Pakula and director Robert Mulligan.
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Most memorable movie, ever.
* I remember seeing this movie when I was 10 or so. I was intrigued and touched by it. It is hard to believe times are so different now and that my parents grew up in this era that seems so foreign, yet it wasn't that long ago. I am going to buy this movie so I can I have it in my collection. My sister loves this movie so much and what the characters represent, my nephew's name is Atticus. I think everyone should see this movie no matter what their age.
The woman that played Scout just gave a speech in Yakima, WA. She said that she filmed this movie in CA and they were never given the whole script and her and the boy didn't understand what they were filming until they saw it on opening night. After making the movie she went home (to the south) and was caught talking to a black kid. Her mother told her that she wasn't in California anymore and to stay away from \"them\". ...
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A Movie for its time, but not All-Time...
A movie that is just plain well-acted. The ensemble supports Mr. Gregory Peck as if his life depended on it. Mr. Brock Peters becomes more than the average mongrel can stand: an innocent man of a shade other than pink, and justice won't be served because of the mongrels. But criticizing this film would be like shooting a mockingbird, wouldn't it? This is another dumbed-down attempt at looking at the mongrel world from a bystander's perspective.
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To Kill a Mockingbird
* I had seen this movie many years ago and now that I have a copy for my collection I am very pleased. This is a terrific movie and it is as effective today as it was when it first came out. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a beautiful story that has a beautiful meaning along with a wonderful story line and absolutely GREAT acting. ...
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To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird (Universal Legacy Series)
Such a great classic! Every person needs a copy of this movie. It's well written, well acted and of course the debut of the great Robert Duvall. I love classic movies and books. This one is worth the price.
JLS/Georgia
