Review of To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) by Donald Z — 13 Dec 2010

Really good adaptation of the classic novel, with some really solid performances and a great courtroom scene near the end, though I couldn't help but feel as though something was missing when all was said and done. Maybe having read the book just killed most of the film's suspense for me, or maybe it was the rather plain way everything was shot and edited together, with the exception of the opening credit scene which was pretty darn creative. Not sure.

Whatever it was, it just felt a bit "stagey" for me, like someone was putting on a play rather than making a movie. It's still really good, and an excellent summary of the novel if you don't feel like reading it, and what an engaging actor Gregory Peck was in his day, man, but it's nothing more than that.

I also really enjoyed how the events of the film are always seen through the eyes of Peck's daughter. It all has this kind of innocence to it, until things start to get serious with the trial and everything. You're witnessing the death of a little girl's carefree childhood, in some ways.

Worth watching, especially if you haven't read the book.