Review of To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) by Leon T — 20 May 2014

To Kill a Mockingbird Movie Review.

From April 29 to May 16, I watched the movie To Kill a Mockingbird with my class. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), directed by Robert Mulligan, is a black-and-white film based on the novel To Kill a Mockingbird published two years earlier in 1960. Although the film follows the novel's largest storyline, many important themes are eliminated in favor of action. The children in the movie generally acted better than their adult counterparts, although there are exceptions. On the bright side, the costumes are fitting for the characters, and the music well-suited for the scenes. No special effects were used throughout the movie, as they were unnecessary.

The movie To Kill a Mockingbird follows the plot of the novel. However, many scenes are altered or completely missing and removing many sub-themes, some more related to us nowadays than the central anti-racist theme, along with them. One of the most important aspects of the novel missing in the film is the part relating to Ms. Dubose (Ruth White). In the novel, she teaches us that courage is the capacity to endure any hardship to achieve a goal that, even then, one cannot be sure of achieving. In the film, she is only shown as a cranky old woman who Atticus uses to demonstrate the effects of politeness. Also missing in the film is Aunt Alexandra and the Christmas visit to Finch's Landing. In the novel, Aunt Alexandra and her missionary society provided valuable insight into women's life in the early 19th century, and Uncle Jack learned alongside the readers how we should treat children. These important scenes are all non-existent in the movie. Another example is the children's visit to Calpurnia's church in which readers learn that it is not necessary to show off every chance one gets. Although the movie attempts to use action and suspense to make up for plot, even these are insufficient and hardly affect the drabness of the film as a whole. Adding to this list of disappointments, the movie also makes a mistake many Hollywood films make; it sharpens the contrast between black and white. For example, in the film, Tom's criminal record disappears to make him appear more innocuous. It is also responsible for shifting the focus of the story almost entirely on the heroism of Atticus.

The acting was not especially proficient either, although some performed better than others, and the costumes were fairly decent. For example, the children (Scout played by Mary Badham and Jem by Phillip Alford) seemed completely into their roles, and their lines flowed without stumps. Mr. Ewell (James K. Anderson) was fit for his role both physically and through his performance. Gregory Peck fit Atticus's old, tired yet loving fatherly character flawlessly, yet, as previously mentioned, he is given much more emphasis in the film than in the novel. Both Ms. Maudie (Rosemary Murphy) and Ms. Stephanie (Alice Ghostley) say their lines too quickly, as though reciting. Mayella (Collin Wilcox) acts too dramatically in the movie, perhaps another attempt to make her appear more guilty.

The music is the best aspect of the film, and it generally fits the mood of the scene it's played in. For example, it becomes eerie near the Radley house and was adventurous when the children were playing. Whether intentionally or not, the movie ends with the same calm and harmonious melody, perhaps to signify that with the death of Bob Ewell, everything had finally returned to normal.

In the end, after watching the movie twice, one with my class and once by myself, I have concluded that the movie To Kill a Mockingbird fails to reach the standards of the novel it is based on in its plot, cinematography, and acting, and I do not recommend anyone who has already read the novel to watch this film, since it would be a great disappointment.