To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Robert Mulligan

Writers:

Harper Lee (novel)
Horton Foote (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 December 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

The most beloved and widely read Pulitzer Prize Winner now comes vividly alive on the screen!

Plot:

Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his kids against prejudice.

Plot Keywords:

Children | Trial | Lawyer | Alabama | American South

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Gregory Peck	...	Atticus Finch
John Megna	...	Charles Baker 'Dill' Harris
Frank Overton	...	Sheriff Heck Tate
Rosemary Murphy	...	Maudie Atkinson
Ruth White	...	Mrs. Dubose
Brock Peters	...	Tom Robinson
Estelle Evans	...	Calpurnia
Paul Fix	...	Judge Taylor
Collin Wilcox Paxton	...	Mayella Violet Ewell (as Collin Wilcox)
James Anderson	...	Robert E. Lee 'Bob' Ewell
Alice Ghostley	...	Aunt Stephanie Crawford
Robert Duvall	...	Arthur 'Boo' Radley
William Windom	...	Mr. Gilmer, Prosecutor
Crahan Denton	...	Walter Cunningham Sr.
Richard Hale	...	Nathan Radley
Mary Badham	...	Scout
Phillip Alford	...	Jem
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
R.L. Armstrong	...	Man (uncredited)
Bobby Barber	...	Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Steve Condit	...	Walter Cunningham Jr. (uncredited)
David Crawford	...	David Robinson - Tom's Son (uncredited)
Jamie Forster	...	Hiram Townsend - Courthouse Steps (uncredited)
Charles E. Fredericks	...	Court Clerk (uncredited)
Jester Hairston	...	Spence Robinson, Tom's Father (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton	...	Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Kim Hamilton	...	Helen Robinson, Tom's wife (uncredited)
Kim Hector	...	Cecil Jacobs (uncredited)
Colin Kenny	...	Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Nancy Marshall	...	Schoolteacher (uncredited)
Paulene Myers	...	Jesse - Dubose Servant Girl (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	...	Man in Mob (uncredited)
Hugh Sanders	...	Dr. Reynolds (uncredited)
Barry Seltzer	...	Schoolboy (uncredited)
Kim Stanley	...	Scout as an Adult - Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Jay Sullivan	...	Court Reporter (uncredited)
Kelly Thordsen	...	Burly Mob Member (uncredited)
Max Wagner	...	Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Bill Walker	...	Rev. Sykes (uncredited)
Dan White	...	Mob Leader (uncredited)
Guy Wilkerson	...	Jury Foreman (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Mulligan

Writing credits
Harper Lee		(novel "To Kill a Mockingbird ")
Horton Foote		(screenplay)

Produced by
Alan J. Pakula	....	producer

Original Music by
Elmer Bernstein

Cinematography by
Russell Harlan		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Aaron Stell

Art Direction by
Henry Bumstead
Alexander Golitzen		(uncredited)

Set Decoration by
Oliver Emert

Costume Design by
Rosemary Odell

Makeup Department
Larry Germain	....	hair stylist
Bud Westmore	....	makeup artist
Franz Prehoda	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Lavaughn Speer	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Edward Muhl	....	in charge of production
Ernest B. Wehmeyer	....	production manager
Dick Gallegly	....	assistant production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joseph E. Kenney	....	assistant director (as Joseph Kenny)
Terry Morse Jr.	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Fred Knoth	....	set coordinator (uncredited)
Frank Nifong	....	props (uncredited)
Julius Rosenkrantz	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Corson Jowett	....	sound
Waldon O. Watson	....	sound
Michael Colomby	....	sound re-recording mixer: restoration remix (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Andrew Bonello	....	automated image processing (restored version) (uncredited)
Carole Cowley	....	digital mastering restoration producer (uncredited)
Sophia Lo	....	digital restoration: Cinesite (uncredited)
Monty Phillips	....	digital artist (digital restoration) (uncredited)
Antonio Torres	....	digital artist: digital restoration, Cinesite (restored version) (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
William Egan	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Léo L. Fuchs	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Carl Gibson	....	grip (uncredited)
Rollie Lane	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Bill Neff	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Frank Stanley	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Jack Whitman	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Walter Woodworth	....	grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Seth Banks	....	wardrobe: men
John Lucas	....	wardrobe: men (uncredited)
Viola Thompson	....	wardrobe: women (uncredited)

Editorial Department
J. Terry Williams	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Stephen Frankfurt	....	title designer
Isabel Halliburton	....	assistant to producer
Meta Rebner	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Brentwood Productions
• Pakula-Mulligan
• Universal International Pictures (UI)

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1962) (USA) (theatrical) (as Universal International)
• Universal Pictures (1967) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1968) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• RSS Pictures (2002) (worldwide) (all media)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2003) (Mexico) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (1963) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (2001) (Germany) (DVD)

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

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

Company:

Brentwood Productions

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.

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.

Quotes:

Sheriff Heck Tate: Didn't you know your daddy's the best shot in this county?

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: Against the Grain (1998) (TV)

One of the most important films of all time

To Kill a Mockingbird is the movie based on the Harper Lee novel of the same name about Scout, Jem and their father, Atticus Finch who is an attorney in a small southern town. It is both a coming of age story about the children as well as a hard-hitting drama, as Atticus defends a black man who is on trial for the rape of a white woman.

This review is not an easy one to write, despite the fact that I have seen this film at least 10 times. The reason it does not come easily is that this is one of the most personally important films I have ever seen and is in my personal `Top Five of All Time'. I'm certain there is nothing that can be said about the film that has not already been repeated a multitude of times, so I guess the best thing to do is explain why the film is so important to me.

I first saw this film several years ago and was so profoundly affected by it that I immediately watched it again. Of course, the defense of a man wrongly accused of a crime is a common story line, but To Kill a Mockingbird stands out as an exceptional example for several reasons. Among them, the date that the film was released: 1962, on the cusp of the civil rights movement in America, and the fact that it takes place in the south in the 1930's. It is also far from the first film to explore the experiences of children and their own personal growth, but To Kill a Mockingbird stands out because of its sheer honesty and natural performances by the child actors portraying these rich characters.

But most of all, this film is special because of Gregory Peck's portrayal of Atticus Finch, a true hero. At the risk of sounding histrionic, my heart aches when I watch him on screen because he is such an incredible man, and is so inherently good. No matter how many times I have seen this film, I smile when I see his interaction with his children, and I well with tears when I see his incredible strength of character. (No easy feat to break through the armor of this cynical film geek who, if given the chance would remake at least a few dozen films with tragic endings.) I was sitting in my car listening to National Public Radio recently the day Gregory Peck died, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I sat and cried hearing the retrospective they offered – mainly because the man who portrayed my own personal cinematic hero was gone, but also because Peck lived his life with the same conviction as his best known role; a fact that makes Atticus Finch all the more tangible. The American Film Institute recently named Atticus Finch the number one hero of all time, a choice I consider both brave and insightful in an age where our heroes generally either wield weapons or have super human physical strength. Atticus Finch fights evil as well, but with his strong moral fiber and his mind.

To Kill a Mockingbird is generally required reading during the course of one's education. If you have not read it, do so. If you have not seen the film, do so; and share it with others. It is an exceptional film that stands the test of time and will remain an important addition to film history for as long as the genre exists.

--Shelly