Well made but arguably hurt by a lack of focus

Rating: 8/10 (13 September 2011)

"To Kill a Mockingbird", like the source novel of the same name, is considered to be a timeless classic. Set in the southern U.S. during the Great Depression, it centres on morally upright lawyer Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck), whose defence of a black man raises the ire of those who would prefer to take the law into their own hands.
Horton Foote's adaptation of Harper Lee's novel may have won an Oscar but, to me, it wasn't all that impressive. Presenting most of the events from the point of view of the children was skillfully accomplished but it also made the courtroom scenes seem out of the place as a result. Also, the conclusion of the main story arc (ie. the court case) ought to have signalled the end of the film. Instead, the movie continues on listlessly for some time in order to connect the two plot threads in a not altogether convincing fashion. The ending represents one of a few plot points that seemed pretty contrived to me.
One of the film's other Oscars went to Gregory Peck for his leading performance. I didn't think it was that spectacular, though, at least in comparison to a handful of other memorable performances of his. I certainly don't think it was the equal of Peter O'Toole's performance in "Lawrence of Arabia", though I wouldn't begrudge Peck his only Oscar. Besides Peck, young Mary Badham also received an Oscar nomination in support. Both she & Philip Alford did quite well alongside their more experienced adult cast-mates.
As for the direction, Robert Mulligan received an Oscar nomination for his efforts, which I would say was warranted. The film also featured a memorable title sequence designed by Stephen Frankfurt along with Oscar-winning black-and-white cinematography. The Oscar-nominated Elmer Bernstein score is also quite good, though not as iconic as his scores for "The Magnificent Seven" & "The Great Escape".
All in all, "To Kill a Mockingbird" is worth watching though I felt that the story left something to be desired. As far as that goes, it may be that I'm being overly hard on the film due to its classic status. While my (lack of) appreciation for that part of the film is subjective, it's hard to argue with the craft behind the visuals, music & acting.