Still a classic 20 years after I first watched it!

Rating: 10/10 (19 September 2010)

To Kill a Mockingbird is a film based on a novel by Harper Lee. Atticus Finch played by Gregory Peck, is an attorney in Alabama in the 1930, hired to defend a black man, Tom Robins, who is accused of assaulting and raping a young white women. Along the way, widowed Atticus' children Scout (Mary Badham) a six year old tomboy and Jem (Phillip Alford) her ten year old brother and their summer friend Dill (John Megna) learn valuable life lessons which become the theme of the film. Lessons of innocence, injustice and prejudice, of maturity and growing up, and of friendship and acceptance. In the film, the children are innocent young individuals, Tom Robins is a falsely accused man, and Boo Radley is also not what he is accused of being. The children witness the prejudices against Tom Robins when he is unjustly accused of raping a white woman. They also see their father courageously trying to defend an innocent man despite the opinions of those who believe he is guilty just because he is black. The children also learn to accept and befriend the mysterious shut-in Boo Radley that saved their lives. The children thought he was a monster and were fearful of him only to find that what they thought of him was very wrong. Throughout the film, unknown to them, Boo looks out for the children. He leaves them gifts, and helps them. When Scout and Boo finally meet, he seems as afraid of her as the children have always been of him. The sound effects and music in the film definitely add to the mood and atmosphere. The music was fairly simple but contributed to the feel of innocence and energy when the children were on screen. The music didn't get overpowering during the suspenseful scenes, more mischievous than scary. When Boo finally appears in the movie, he is hiding behind a door, his face fully in the shadows. The lighting accentuates the mystery behind the stranger. Scout eventually takes his hand and brings him into the light without hesitation or fear of the man that was so misunderstood. By the end of the film, the children certainly aren't as innocent as they started out. The lessons that they learned were life changing and profound. The saw what prejudice and injustice can do to a man and a community. They also learned to accept something that was so misunderstood, mysterious and feared for so long and gained a friend in the process.