From written word to silver screen

Rating: Null/10 (23 March 2003)

The old cliche is true: the book is better than the film. To someone who read the book first (and second, and third, and fourth ...), the film seems disjointed, and the worse for not focusing more on the children, especially before the trial starts. No film can accurately condense such a finely crafted book word-for-word onto the screen, however, and the film more than does justice to its source, with the actors playing their parts as I imagined the characters in the book to be. Harper Lee gave Gregory Peck her father's watch because his performance so reminded her of her own parent, and the two 'amateur' child actors, Mary Badham and Philip Alford, are natural in their roles. Collin Wilcox gives a strong and emotive deliverance of Mayella Ewell's courtroom testimony. I loved the climax, and the closing scene with Atticus and his children is beautifully touching. I recommend this film as I recommend the book, but putting the film first is probably the only way to enjoy an unbiased viewing before the inevitable comparison!