Directed by:
Robert MulliganScreenplay:
Horton FooteCinematography:
Russell HarlanComposer:
Elmer BernsteinCast:
Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Phillip Alford, John Megna, Frank Overton, Rosemary Murphy, Ruth White, Brock Peters, Robert Duvall, Paul Fix, Collin Wilcox Paxton (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
In a small Alabama town in 1932, Atticus Finch, a widowed lawyer, strives to create for his two children, 6-year-old Scout and her 10-year-old brother, Jem, an atmosphere free from hatred and prejudice. The youngsters lead a carefree life, racing about the town, jeering at eccentric Mrs. Dubose, and frightening themselves and their new friend, 6-year-old Dill Harris, with exaggerated stories about Boo Radley, a mentally retarded neighbor whom they have never seen. When Atticus agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a Negro accused of raping young Mayella Ewell, the children must defend themselves against the taunts of their classmates. Though Atticus is able to demonstrate Tom's innocence, forcing Mayella to admit that her father beat her when he found her making advances toward Tom, the all-white jury returns a verdict of guilty. Atticus tries to have the decision reversed, but before he can do so, Tom attempts to escape and is killed. In revenge against Atticus, Bob Ewell one day attacks Scout and Jem; but Boo Radley, who has secretly watched over the children and has left gifts for them in a tree trunk, saves them by killing Ewell. Sheriff Tate concludes that Ewell fell on his own knife and decides that there will be no trial. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (4)
A very powerful film that is definitely worth seeing. Court dramas are generally capable of being strong, but here it is also about drama outside the courtroom, about children's drama, about drama about people. This is a film that will get under your skin and show you that justice really has a very diverse form. And sometimes it is simply unfair.
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A wonderful, perhaps a little slower-developing film with the wonderful Gregory Peck. Together with Inherit the Wind and Judgment at Nuremberg, this film forms my personal, imaginary top of the list of courtroom stories that never get boring, although entertainment is the last thing on my mind when watching them.
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I enjoyed the notorious Southern hospitality combined with the notorious Southern racism. I also enjoyed Gregory Peck's performance, and to my huge surprise, I didn't even mind the child actors, but... The film felt really archaic; the main character didn't have a scratch on his shiny armor, and I'm not a fan of such virtuous characters. The slow introduction dragged on like a partially frozen snail dowsed in honey, and it seemed much longer than the actual main storyline, while the events in the courtroom felt somewhat rushed. However, Atticus' speech about equality before American justice was hilarious and brought me cynical joy. Despite the criticism, I still think it's a good film because there are lessons to take from it, and I appreciate its poetic elements. My main problem was that my expectations were much higher, and they were not met.
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I was expecting a classic courtroom drama based on ideas about racism, but what I got was a very original and beautifully retold story from rural America, which through the recollections of a little girl reflects an unpleasant time not only in a depressing but also in a pleasantly exaggerated and purely childlike way. The performances are of course dominated by Peck, but it's also certainly nice to see a young Robert Duvall before he went into the service of the mafia:-) My only criticism would be the slightly odd ending, which didn't avoid patheticism and went too far off the rails in my opinion. Or, on the contrary, immersed itself in it with gusto. :) 85%
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