The quintessential hero

Rating: 10/10 (14 May 2012)

The first time i watched this movie when i was in the final year of school, i considered it totally boring. The second time i watched it(an year later), i didn't understand why it was voted the Greatest Courtroom Drama ahead of 12 Angry Men. So i decided to read the book by Harper Lee before watching the movie next time. It is one of the finest piece of Literature i've read and the movie is equally good.
The movie is narrated by Scout, played by Mary Badham. Scout is the younger child of Atticus Finch, played by Gregory Peck. The movie focuses on the childhood days of Jem and Scout and what kind of a man their father was. The movie is set in the backdrop of a depression-hit Alabama of the 1930s where black people were subject to prejudice, ill-treatment and the laws of the state that were biased. A major part of the movie is about the kids Jem and Scout, until Atticus Finch dares to take up the case of a 'colored' man wrongly convicted of raping a white-woman. Atticus Finch is a father who is unmatched when it comes to taking care of his motherless children. He holds no discrimination against the 'colored' race and forces(after pampering sessions end) his daughter to apologize to their domestic servant; he also invites a 'colored' boy to dine with them and advices his daughter not to ridicule the way in which the kid ate. When Atticus Finch actually tries to prove the convicted man innocent, he gets threatened by the complainant's father and is despised by the people of the town. The man spits on Atticus' face. Normally you'd expect a six-foot plus tall man with a broad frame to strike the other man down but Atticus takes his handkerchief and wipes off the spittle. Such an inspiring character he is and AFI rightly called him the Greatest Hero of all-time. He, despite knowing the fact that the 'colored' man wasn't convicted and had firm evidence to substantiate his argument, he loses the case thanks to the prejudiced laws of the state. When he is despised by the people of the town, an oddball who has been deserted by everyone comes to the rescue of Scout when a drunkard attacks her.
The first half of the movie is enjoyed not only by kids but by everyone who has been a kid and reminisce the sweet memories of being innocent, playful, stubborn, and the umpteen petty fights one had had. The second half of the movie, i call it from the time of Atticus taking up the case, is better appreciated by someone who is grownup.