Imperfect, Populist 'Must-See Classic'

Rating: 7/10 (2 December 2007)

Being a film student, I have known about 'To Kill a Mockingbird' for ages. My father had a copy on our bookshelf while I was growing up (he was a voracious reader). I was always puzzled by the title, and had no idea what the story was about. And, I had known about the film for many years, but had put it off - even though I'm a fairly big Gregory Peck fan. So I finally bought the DVD, and I must agree with that gentleman from Troy, NY. A lot of his comments are right on the mark. However, I disagree with his attack on the Finch legacy. Yes, their ancestors probably owned slaves, and that was no doubt the base for their family economy and fortune. But to fault them as being hypocrites; this is unfair. Can you say that all liberals in the South are hypocrites? No! Someone has to turn the tide in such a racially volatile area. However, the film takes its sweet time developing, and there is a severe lack of conflict in the first half, and even the second half. I think much of this is due to the smarmy portrayal of the children, and the obvious idyllic life in their small town. Also, the characters on both sides are too black and white (no pun intended!). Although James Anderson does a SUPERB job playing Bob Ewell (He made me hate that character so much!), this is a stereotype. Also, the blacks in the film are southern stereotypes too. They're all humble, forgiving, obedient, etc. It would've been nice to see an angry young man or woman amongst them. Also, I thought that in the novel Mayell finally confesses she committed perjury, but there's no evidence of this in the film. So, I give this a '7' for the acting, production values, and direction. I enjoyed it somewhat the first time, but now I feel I watched it more out of duty than anything else.