Good story but not that well told

Rating: Null/10 (23 March 2003)

Told in hindsight by Scout this is the story of how she and her brother remember one summer in the Deep South when their father, Atticus Finch defends a black man (Robinson) who has been accused of forcing himself on a white girl and then beating her. Atticus finds himself in a battle for the truth in the face of racism and intolerance and also defending his children from the impact of the same on them.
I first read the book in school and have re-read it several times as it has really stuck with me. Since then I have seen the film a couple of times but have never felt that it really reaches the same height as the book does. The telling of the story is at it's strongest in the courtroom as it takes on the principles of a courtroom thriller however outside of this central piece it is almost a Southern cliché  with the kids, the community etc. It still works but it feels like a postcard compared to the reality of the South in the intolerance of the courtroom.
The film doesn't totally bring through the themes of the books  instead focusing on the specifics. This is necessary to make it all fit into the 130min running time but it is to the subject matter's detriment as it loses much of it's significance. That's not to say it is not impacting, because it still is. I do have a problem with the first half and the end of the film where the focus is entirely on the children before sudden jumps into the main plot. In the book it is all part of the same thing, here it does feel like it is a different chapter.
Peck is good in his usual moral indignation role and he is well supported by the two child actors who both seem natural  Badham (sister of the director) and Alford. A very young looking Robert Duvall is in the film briefly and adds a bit of interest to the generally good supporting cast. It is to the film's credit (considering the period and the setting) that the black characters are not just limited to `yessir' stereotypes although at times they come close.
Overall I enjoyed this film and the courtroom scenes are pretty tense even knowing where it is going. The narration of the grown up Scout is a little weak and some of the film appears to be wandering to no effect but it is still a good film. I, however, would still rather re-read the book.