Pulitzer & Oscar Combined

Rating: 10/10 (2 December 2010)

An absolute ten! Based on a 1962 Pulitzer winning novel by Harper Lee and an Oscar-winning script by Horton Foote. Gregory Peck's Oscar winning performance, his best part ever; embedded in memory since I first saw it in the 1960s. Brock Peters gave a very good performance as Tom, and Robert Duvall started his career in this film as a very interesting character. Mary Badham as Scout was absolutely magnificent, Phillip Alford as Jem was very good, and Estelle Evans as Calpurnia made a strong impact. The story itself is so piercing and heartbreaking, in that it combines a severe social problem of the American deeply rooted racism, as well as depicting an exemplary father figure and tenderly describing the people and events that affect a child's education. The fact that the story unfolds in a small town, helps to put the emphasis on the fact that every human being contains an amazing universe of its own. Definitely a must see for any film aficionado.