'Do you know what a compromise is?'

Rating: 7/10 (10 August 2017)

To Kill a Mockingbird is pretty famous in my household. My mom loved Gregory Peck's portrayal of the integrity-filled, honest, caring, patient father so much that she named my brother Atticus. It was a running quotation when I was growing up to say, "Do you know what a compromise is?" with a little Southern drawl. I know my family is one of millions who have tried to emulate Gregory Peck's clipped pronunciation of "Scout"; that one word is another one of our famous and long-running movie quotations.
Unfortunately, there's nothing more American than racism, and in this adaptation of one of the most iconic American novels, lawyer Atticus Finch defends a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. Since it's the South, you can only imagine the backlash he and his family receive from the community when he steps up to give Tom Robinson his right to a fair trial. As in the novel, the story is told from the point of view of Scout, Atticus's young daughter. Mary Badham plays Scout, and she's not only adorable, but completely earned her Oscar nomination. She was only ten years old, and the youngest actress to be nominated at that time!
To Kill a Mockingbird marks Gregory Peck's most famous role, and while everyone knows the famous "In the name of God" powerful courtroom speech, his performance isn't just a "Gregory Peck role". He's a caring, concerned father, and the scenes between Greg and Mary are beautiful. Greg won an Oscar for his performance, and the film also picked up statues for Adapted Screenplay and Art Direction. Elmer Bernstein's lovely theme was nominated, but it was hard to compete against Laurence of Arabia, which took the music, director, and picture awards away from To Kill a Mockingbird. This is a real American classic, so if you're that one person in the country who hasn't yet seen it, rent it so you can join in the conversation with all your family and friends. Even if you're particularly attached to the novel and don't generally like film adaptations, give it a chance. Harper Lee herself loved the movie and thought Gregory Peck's performance was so wonderful, she gave him her father's (the real Atticus Finch) pocket watch. Peck's grandson is named Harper, which is really sweet, and it shows just how much this role and film meant to him and his family.