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To Kill a Mockingbird
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To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) More at IMDbPro »

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City Lights (1931) -- AFI's 10 Top 10 - The 10 Greatest Films in 10 Classic Genres
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) -- Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his kids against prejudice.
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) -- Atticus Finch (Peck), a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his kids against prejudice.

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 7% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Robert Mulligan
Writers:
Harper Lee (novel)
Horton Foote (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for To Kill a Mockingbird on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 December 1962 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama more
Tagline:
The most beloved and widely read Pulitzer Prize Winner now comes vividly alive on the screen! more
Plot:
Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his kids against prejudice. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 3 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 12 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(26 articles)
Bloom on the main
 (From JoBlo. 25 March 2009, 6:54 PM, PDT)

Top Screenwriter and Playwright Foote Dead at 92
 (From WENN. 4 March 2009, 5:30 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Wonderful Social Classic That Echoes Issues of Its Day... more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
129 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
USA:Approved (PCA #20267) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | USA:Not Rated (DVD) | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | South Korea:12 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:12 (f)
Filming Locations:
Monroeville, Alabama, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Although Gregory Peck's inspirational performance as Atticus Finch turned out to be a perfect highlight to his long career, Rock Hudson was actually the studio's first choice for the role. James Stewart was also offered the part, but told the producers he believed the script was "too liberal", and feared the film would be controversial. more
Goofs:
Continuity: While Atticus gets his papers together in the courtroom after the verdict you see a water glass next to the pitcher on the judge's desk. In the next shot, as he walks out, there is no glass, just the pitcher. more
Quotes:
Sheriff Heck Tate: Didn't you know your daddy's the best shot in this county? more
Movie Connections:
Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: Against the Grain (1998) (TV) more

FAQ

Is this movie based on a book?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
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115 out of 134 people found the following comment useful:-
Wonderful Social Classic That Echoes Issues of Its Day..., 30 March 1999
9/10
Author: Donald J. Lamb from Philadelphia, PA

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is presented like a play in three acts. It is also from the children's perspective. Through the kids, we find that racism is a learned attitude or feeling. We also see a delightful coming of age drama as the young kids realize that there is no Boogeyman down the street and their father is capable of doing a lot more than they think. The great Gregory Peck plays Atticus Finch, a pillar of nobility, social conscience, and, rare for 1930's Americana, a single parent. Peck is such a strong presence, you believe everything about him. It is something you can compare to America's trust in TV anchorman Walter Cronkite. We always took his word for it.

Act one puts Atticus in the background and allows the kids to flourish. Director Robert Mulligan was able to get such realistic performances from non-professional kids. They are amusing and fun to watch. The big mystery lies in the house down the street in this small Georgia town. Who is the monstrous, "6 and a half feet big" legend living in the end house? Some light suspense ensues, while the buildup to a stirring act two is happening. Atticus must defend an African-American man for the alleged rape of a white woman.

After threats galore, an unshaken Peck takes to the courtroom jungle in, without a doubt, one of the top 5 court scenes in motion picture history. Brock Peters lends the film its best moments as the accused "negro" on trial. This man has a face chiseled with suffering and deep, deep sorrow. We know Atticus is a good man, a decent human being with a soul. He sees this in his client as well, and in a closing argument that must have roused the civil rights movement, implores the jury to vote justice. An all-male, all-white jury in the 1930's were tough listeners. Peters' breakdown on the stand is one of the most realistic, emotionally saddening moments you'll ever see, especially in Hollywood films of the 1960's. The scene when Peck leaves the courtroom is now legendary as well.

Act three produces a tragic death, an unlikely hero, and the bringing together of a family. The filmmakers have such a passion for the material, they seem to handle it with gentleness. Racism is a hard-boiled subject and it is depicted and dealt with through grace and patience. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD poses the injustice of race relations in the 1930's as a front for the events happening in the 1960's. The film came out during turbulent times and was also an adaption of a literary classic. I am one to judge a film solely by film only. The book is a separate art form and should not be compared to the film, an art form itself. It is important, it is enlightening, and it has not aged. Watch it.

RATING: 9 of 10

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SPOILER - question about Tom Robinson kerrfunk1
IS THIS MOVIE THAT GOOD? rlkimble
Kitchen Knife? Excessive Force? Blood on Atticus's Hands? ClarenceD
Quotes you will never forget teejeum
Who's singing and drawing right at the start? korn_mythe
Faithful to the novel? efraincarreon
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