To Kill A Mockingbird

Rating: 10/10 (8 April 2013)

To Kill a Mockingbird, a screenplay written by Horton Foote, known for his other works based off of novels, such as Of Mice And Men, highlighted the major events from Harper Lee's original story, of the childhood, and coming of age, of Jem and Scout Finch, along with Dill Harris. Many aspects of the novel were portrayed in a "screen friendly" way, to show more of the action, and to display the main motives of each character. For example, the Radley house was accompanied by the use of sound effects to personify the character of Boo and Arthur Radley. The film was well-written, and well directed. The director, Robert Mulligan, chose wisely the actors of the film, Mary Badham, who played Scout, showed the personality of the young Finch very well, and Phillip Alford, who played Jem Finch, brought out the age difference between the Finch children. The film begins, showing the quiet town of Maycomb, which was an obvious choice by Mulligan, to show that Maycomb was like any other town at the time of the movie. The movie was set around the 1930's, and involved the Finches fighting for the freedom of Tom Robinson, a Negro accused of raping young Mayella Ewell. This trial was the main conflict in the film, between the Ewells and the majority of Maycomb, and the Finches. This conflict shaped the movie, and novel as a whole.
The director chose many themes throughout the film, one of them, being what appears to be, and what is. This was shown throughout the movie, especially in the presence of Boo Radley. What Scout and Jem thought, and what Atticus, played by Gregory Peck, knew was entirely different. This sparked much of the conflict in the movie. Mulligan also chose to show the true personalities of people at the time, which may seem more vulgar to the people of today's society. There were also some hidden symbols found throughout the film. The introduction of the movie highlights many of the symbols. For example, the marbles during the opening credits show the conflict between white and black. These themes played a pivotal role in the film. The plot of the story is simple, yet real at the same time. The racial conflict was a daily problem in the society of the 1930's. The plot was easy to follow and showed how the theme of appearance vs. reality tied in to the story. The actors set for the roles of each character played their parts perfectly. However, due to time and money constraints, there were a few key characters left out of the script (Ms. Rachel). The movie cinematography was impeccable, the director employed many camera techniques to show different actions. This caused an enhancement to the movie, in a way you would not expect for the time it was made. There was also a great use in lighting and sound, which drove many of the actions in the story, especially Jem's run-in with a mysterious shadow. The musical score created tension which would otherwise be unable to be felt in the film. Overall, To Kill a Mockingbird highlights Harper Lee's timeless novel in a thoughtful way. Robert Mulligan directed the film beautifully, incorporating all needed aspects of the film. This gives the viewer a second look into the film, and shows some of the true meanings behind each character. The film is a must-see, and brings To Kill a Mockingbird to life.