To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird- PG

By Jonathan Goodsell

To Kill a Mockingbird is a timeless classic of growing up and depicts a terrible black patch on this countries history. Starring Gregory Peck as the loving and wise lawyer Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of an African American wrongly accused of rape and assault in the depression struck South. Atticus Finch is called to defend the man and is pulled into the racist struggle ever present in the South. He struggles to protect his children, Jim and Scout, from the prejudice attacks on his name for defending the man while trying to bring justice to the innocent. However the show is also about Jim and Scout growing up and their adventures in the town and neighborhood. Their main interest and the ever present mystery in the movie is their neighbor, the hidden Mr. "Boo" Radley. Mr. Radley, brilliantly played by a very young and debut of Robert Duvall., is the item of ghost stories for the kids as he never comes out in the daylight and has never been seen and they only know him from the old stories told by Atticus and the other town members.

So I loved this movie. It was fun and easy to follow. It truthfully depicted the problems of the South and was almost heart wrenching to watch as the trial events play out. Ever playful Jim and Scout were excellently played by one-hit wonders Phillip Alford and Mary Badham; neither of which went on to have big acting careers out of childhood. Their adventures in the neighborhood were entertaining to watch as they continually tried to figure out the mystery behind "Boo" Radley. The directing was excellently done and the emotionalism portrayed by the characters was completely believable and convincing in a way that made you really feel for the characters. I also really enjoyed the silently brilliant appearance of Robert Duvall. His acting, in my opinion, was the best of all in the whole movie.

This movie is one that all ages can love. Their are elements for everyone to enjoy. Language was non-existent except for very brief rude name calling at the African American on trial. During the testimonies of the trial, the accusations of the rape and assault are discussed extensively. A woman talks about how she was beat and taken advantage of and others testify of seeing bruises and struggles etc. Yet the talk isn't explicit or inappropriate and in terms that kids wouldn't understand so the scene remains safe for the whole family to watch. The is a scene near the end where Jim and Scout are attacked  that could be slightly terrifying to younger people. But the movie as a whole is extremely clean and enjoyable to watch. It's a movie that should and will last for generations to come as the morals in it can be used for so many different scenarios. So in my reviewer opinion, this movie was a work of art, a well deserved classic, and it's getting a 9/10