One of the best films of the 1960s

Rating: 8/10 (2 April 2000)

The film explored could only be possibly left undisturbed in all its proud, grim glory, in black and white cinematography, rather than using inferior colour processes. The 60s remains the peak of time in which the moral certainty and controversially challenging racial themes were most strongly implied, although the classic story of innocence and a black man charged with the rape of a white girl is still alarmingly relevant today, even to a lesser extent.
Could To Kill a Mockingbird be able to survive a modern day movie re-make, miniseries or television film?
Remaking Mockingbird as a feature film in a sense would almost be as bad as a sequel to Casablanca or a remake of Gone With the Wind. It is to morals as what Citizen Kane is to its own powerful themes and what Singin in the Rain or The Wizard of Oz is to musicals. In other words, any sign of a duplicate could do no justice to its predecessor, without undoing the originals power, which had first debuted on the screen in celebrated style almost forty years ago.
Unfortunately, incidence had to be compromised with cinematic length, and some of the novels key events were not filmed. I saw Mockingbird some months before I studied the novel, which happens to be the text currently being studied at school, and despite its excellence, it has not been entirely helpful. The question remains as to whether even some of the film s darkest themes were deemed unfilmable. Apart from that, the screenplay of Horton Foote remains largely faithful, and retains most of the literary brilliance of Harper Lees original Pulitzer Prize winning work. In turn, the director has done the same.
No actor of the day could have played Atticus Finch better than the great man, Gregory Peck himself. Any sign of the comic, cynical newspaper reporter he played previously in Roman Holiday is far removed. The dignified symbolism of human idealism was a well-deserved Oscar win, played to the upper core of conviction.
The usage of literal unknown actors, including Mary Badham as Scout, has therefore not compromised some of the all-important supporting creations by bastardising the film with big names. Finally, Kim Stanleys narration of the older Scout is fitting and appropriately convincing.
Technical elements for this 60s film are generally above average. Visibly rugged sets and costumes have been well created. The musical score is not an intrusion, but rather a befitting haunting melody that becomes increasingly better with each viewing of the film. Its a relief to know a lousy, irrelevant theme song does not accompany the film.
Against Lawrence of Arabia, David Leans masterpiece epic, the fact that the underdog Mockingbird won any Oscars at all is truly a wonder. Named by the AFI as one of the top 100 films of all time in 1998 only further proves why this film has been one of the most successful adaptations and perhaps the best film of any year in the 1960s. Unfortunately, 1962 was simply not one of them.
Rating: 8.5/10