Movie Review: To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Rating: ★★★★ 1/2

"Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

Picture credits: Universal Pictures via forbes.com

This screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is a drama that is one for the ages. The movie won Gregory Peck an Oscar for his brilliant and captivating performance as Atticus Finch, a Southern lawyer who defends a black man accused of rape during the Great Depression. The manner in which the movie depicts a time and place and above all a mood, makes it an enduring paragon of vintage cinema. 

Set in a dusty Southern town, the plot revolves around the events following a white woman accusing a black man of rape. Despite the man's clear cut innocence, the outcome of the trial is such a foregone conclusion that no lawyer will step forward to defend him except the town's most distinguished citizen. His compassionate defence costs Atticus his respect and many friendships but earns him the esteem and admiration of his two motherless children.

Primarily recounted from the eyes of his daughter, Scout Finch - the performances of the child actors in this movie are credible and appealing; with the movie having such unforgettable and thought-provoking lines that it'll potentially send shivers down one's spine. Such a realistic portrayal of the times it is set in coupled with a suitable and memorable score render any critiques in appraisal of this masterpiece short of its sheer genius.