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The film takes place in a small, humble, Southern town where Jean Louise "Scout" Finch (Mary Badham) and her brother Jem Finch (Phillip Alford) live. Scout and Jem enjoy spending playtime with their neighborhood friend Dill Harris (John Megna), but the innocence of childhood fun quickly comes to an end. Scout and Jem's father Atticus (Gregory Peck) decides to defend an African American man named Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) in a court case.
http://tinyurl.com/zp4m98f
Tom Robinson has been convicted of raping and beating a white woman named Mayella Violet Ewell. As the case proceeds, The Finch family is soon greeted by an angry, racist community. Meanwhile, Scout and Jem have suspicions over the Radley residence, a mysterious, eerie house in the neighborhood.
In terms of casting, the movie is very well-done. Gregory Peck captures the intelligent essence of Atticus almost perfectly. He speaks with a confident, sophisticated, authoritative voice which clearly stands apart from the other characters.
Peck also makes sure not to forget the gentle and humble side of Atticus. For instance, in the beginning of the movie, Jem is sitting in a tree house and refuses to climb down after his father insists he eat breakfast. Considering the film is based in the 1930's, the viewer probably expects Atticus to become flustered, and perhaps use physical force on the child. Instead, Atticus replies with two simple words: "Suit yourself". Eventually Jem comes down on his own, as it is clear that he respects Atticus, even if he is surprisingly but charmingly gentle. Peck consistently uses simple dialogue to illustrate how Atticus values logic, compromise, and empathy. He mentions, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view." Besides Peck, Mary Badham plays a fine Scout, and John Megna provides the innocent, tiny-but-feisty element of Dill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OABHfWyNRSk
The film-making style and camerawork in Mockingbird is very straightforward and less stylish, complementing Mulligan's taste for substance over style. Someone who appreciates good stories over everything else. The movie could generate some boredom in those who starve after edgy, abstract effects. Writer for the British Film Institute Richard Armstrong mentions, "If critics called these films ambiguous and fey, they remain the happy outcomes of unpretentious television camerawork and editing..." (Armstrong).
http://tinyurl.com/j3zfguw
While it is admirable that Mulligan wanted to entertain the audience mostly on the plot, a little more of an investment in camera effects wouldn't have hurt. Did the movie really need to be in black and white? Apparently, Mulligan wanted the movie in black and white to create a feeling of the past. The black and white would occasionally confuse me. Sometimes it would take me a few seconds to realize that a scene is taking place during the day rather than at night, or vice versa.
While the film style of the movie may not be the most astonishing, Mockingbird is very unique in that it shows the audience two perspectives on life: the child perspective, and the adult perspective.
The movie deals with sensitive, controversial topics such as race, social class, and abuse. The way the film introduces these topics, however, is done with such grace and originality. In the words of Richard Armstrong, many of the movie's scenes "are dependent upon alignment of the audience's perspective with that of a child. Through a child's eyes, adults often seem inscrutable" (Armstrong).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaVuVu5KXuE&list=PLC2383F4CE69173C2&feature=iv&src_vid=guMVb47aD-k&annotation_id=annotation_433294
There is a scene in which a group of angry, racist men approach Atticus. Instead of hiding behind her father in fear, Scout decides to strike up a casual conversation with one of the men. This scene emphasizes the innocence and friendliness behind children, the kind that adults just don't seem to possess.
Scenes in the courtroom introduce the audience to the adult perceptive of racism in the past.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44TG_H_oY2E&index=4&list=PLC2383F4CE69173C2
The progression of the movie also adds to the unique double-perspective the audience gets to see. The movie opens with a joyful spirit of summer play. We see Scout, Jem, and Dill enjoying the outdoors and exploring different areas around town. As the film proceeds, we learn about the Tom Robinson case. The drama as well as the mature themes of the movie begin to accumulate as the movie goes on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojydQ3_FDqI&index=2&list=PLC2383F4CE69173C2
Media education consultant Frank W. Baker writes, "we see a seemingly simple society unraveling to reveal its darker side; while other previously held fears are proven wrong" (Baker). The "previously held fears" that Baker mentions is Scout and Jem's suspicions over Boo Radley (Robert Duvall). Scout later discovers that Boo is actually named Arthur, and he helps save Jem's life.
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The movie was created with a true sense of care and talent coming from the director, the cast, and others behind-the-scenes. Harper Lee even mentioned how she enjoyed the film. Film adaptations are often criticized for not having enough similarity to the books. I think To Kill a Mockingbird is an exception to this criticism. With a running time of approximately 2 hours and 9 minutes, the movie manages to fully capture the charm and wit of childhood memories and adult reality which had been originally presented through 300 pages of American literature.
