And the Oscar Goes to............!

Rating: 9/10 (3 October 2016)

What can I add to the already glowing reviews of this wonderful film. It gave star Gregory Peck a long overdue Oscar as Best Actor of 1962. He had the good fortune to have been given an excellent supporting cast which only added to the film's brilliance. It should be noted that there were no other so-called stars in the cast, unusual for a Peck film.
The story, adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Harper Lee, is one of a small town country lawyer who is asked to do his civic duty by defending a black man accused of rape, a sensitive topic for films of that time.
Atticus Finch (Peck) is a widower with two young children, Scout (Mary Badham) and Jem (Phillip Alford) going about their daily business when Judge Taylor (Paul Fix) asks Atticus to take on a case, which no one else will touch, of a black man Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) who is accused of raping the young daughter (Collin Wilcox) of red necked farmer Bob Ewell (James Anderson).
The trial proceeds and Atticus casts reasonable doubt on the guilt of the defendant. Even so, the jury finds Robinson guilty and.................................................
The film is essentially divided into three parts. The first part follows the children and their friend Dill Harris (John Megna) in their summer pursuits. The second and central part of the film is the court room sequence. The final part is the aftermath of the trial including the children's encounter with the neighborhood bogey man Boo Radley (Robert Duvall).
There are several performances of note here. Peck of course was never better. He considered the role of Atticus Finch as his personal favorite of all of his roles. His easy going but authoritative manner both with his children and in the court room are a sight to behold. Mary Badham and Phillip Alford were not professional actors when hired but turn in great performances as Finch's children.
James Robinson is positively scary as the red necked farmer Ewell who accuses Tom of rape. His confrontation scene with Peck is memorable. Collin Wilcox as Mayella Violet Ewell, the "victim" almost steals the court room scene as does the touching performance by the great black actor Brock Peters as the doomed accused.
Robert Duvall in one of his earliest films, plays Boo Radley without uttering a word. He does it all with facial expressions from fear to compassion to understanding. Also, using his facial expression to advantage is veteran character actor Richard Hale as Nathan Radley, Boo's father as he cements up a hole in the tree where Boo had left small items for the children.
And much is made on the DVD commentary by Producer Alan J. Pakula and director Robert Mulligan on the cutting of the part of Ruth White as the wheelchair bound Mrs. Dubose to one short scene. If it was that good, surely they could have found a way to keep it in. And why was it not included on the DVD?
Others in the strong cast include William Windom as the prosecuting attorney, Frank Overton as the Sheriff, Estelle Evans as the Fich housekeeper Calpurnia and Rosemary Murphy as neighbor Maudie Atkinson.
If I have any criticism of the film it is the very obvious studio bound "exteriors" which take away from the film's authenticity. Nevertheless, this is a film that seem to get better with age.