Simply Beautiful.

Rating: 10/10 (29 June 2006)

I wanted to be a lawyer after I saw this movie. Gregory Peck was astounding ;now that is acting, letting your face, body language, silences and actions speak the entire gamut.
I followed the stories here through three different generations, the older generation Atticus Finch's set; watching him try to be a good example to his children while integrating himself into their lives, teaching them values unconsciously while setting standards and boundaries for discipline is a delight to watch. Miss Crawford and the old lady who was dying and Jem had to visit her, these bring an extended family element.
The middle set : Boo Radley, whose eyes and vision is what follows the children round the neighbourhood ; living his dreams through them and bearing their heartaches as well.
And the children ; Scout Finch is a most poignant storyteller; she relates the most significant things with colour and life. When they find the wax dolls in trees, the importance they attach to it, the feeling that Boo is watching and when she gets to meet Boo, she isn't at all scared, it's been so long that the anticipation of meeting him turns into respect. We grow with Scout at Atticus' knee, with Calpurnia, with Aunt Alexandra, with Jem & Dill, and finally in that epiphany scene with Boo (when she walks him home), she ages and time stands still and even when she returns to the present, she has become an adult in many ways; love, honour, sacrifice and selflessness all hold new meaning for her. She was never going to see the world through a child's perspective again.
Boo was supposed to be scary, I'm thoroughly thrilled to know that it was a very young Robert Duvall.
The storyline is simple but gripping, racism & prejudice burn long and slow and it takes the honour and faith of men like Atticus Finch and the sheriff to diffuse this or deal with it. When Boo kills Jem's Attacker Tom Ewell, the sheriff fabricates a story to protect Boo's privacy and the fact that he acted in defence of the children. As Miss Crawford says "it's a sin to shoot a mockingbird as they sing all day and give us sweet music" there are two mockingbirds; Tom Robinson and Boo Radley who have done nothing but try to co-exist and bring peace to their little world.
The language belongs to the era; the settings are stark depicting the harshness, simplicity and "beauty" of those times. The themes of racism, superiority/inferiority complexes, sacrifice, respect, integrity and honour all resound strongly. It is a lesson in morals but a picture; a signpost for the future!!
To Kill A Mockingbird reverberates with hope, while there is injustice, there will be those who believe in justice. Racism may always exist but there also those who believe in free will and equal; opportunities. At times all it takes is the simple voice of a child to remind us who we are.!!
10/10