Warmly prestigious (which is both pro and con)

Rating: 8/10 (13 November 2005)

Well-made film from Harper Lee's controversial but justly-celebrated book with Gregory Peck standing pensively tall and mighty as Atticus Finch, one of the most warmly regarded literary figures of the past century. Mary Badham does sterling work as a young white girl in the South watching with interest as her lawyer-father defends a black man on trial for raping a white woman. The coming-of-age dramatics and the rural atmospherics are ladled smoothly but thickly, and the juxtaposition with the heated courtroom theatrics is a bit bumpy; still, all the trial scenes are riveting, and Peck certainly earns his Best Actor Oscar with his fatherly approach and quiet grace. The film is difficult at times and perhaps tries too hard at others (it has a heavy spirit), but it's also quite rich as a character-study and it has a profound affect on many people. *** from ****