A masterpiece about childhood, racism, prejudice, integrity and love

Rating: 10/10 (24 December 2011)

"To Kill a Mockingbird" is one of the few examples where novel and movie for one really have something to say and where both versions are outstanding achievements in their own right. Harper Lee's bestseller won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and the movie - made with Lee's full support and produced with the same love for the material - received eight well deserved nominations for the Academy Award. The film won three, including Best Actor for Gregory Peck, a portrayal tailored so convincingly after Harper Lee's real life father that a lifelong friendship between actor and writer developed. Even Peck's granddaughter would bear the name "Harper", to appreciate the mutual appreciation. Family is also on the forefront of the film: Peck really epitomizes the role of the Southern lawyer Atticus Finch who is set to defend a black man accused of raping a while girl, convinced of his innocence. Finch has two children he needs to teach values of humanity, and these are based on compassion, courage and fighting for the right cause - against all odds. Actor and character shared these principles, and it shows.
What makes book and movie so special is that everything is seen through the eyes of the children rather than from a more objective perspective. That way the storytelling provides an unusual and fresh angle when we find ourselves stumbling into events more or less by accident and learn what's really at stake as the youngsters go along. Yet while Atticus' fight against prejudices may seem to be doomed, hope never dies - and it is a given that the viewer will walk away deeply moved by this picture. "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a masterpiece about childhood, racism, prejudice, integrity and love, and it excels in dealing with all of the mentioned categories. Whether in form of the novel or the film, "To Kill a Mockingbird" should be integral part of anyone's education.