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 children against prejudice.

Director:

Robert Mulligan

Writers:

Harper Lee (based on her novel "To Kill a Mockingbird"), Horton Foote (screenplay)

Stars:

Gregory Peck, John Megna, Frank Overton

Top Rated Movies #113 | Won 3 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gregory Peck	...	Atticus Finch
John Megna	...	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	...	Bob Ewell
Alice Ghostley	...	Aunt Stephanie Crawford
Robert Duvall	...	Boo Radley
William Windom	...	Mr. Gilmer
Crahan Denton	...	Walter Cunningham Sr.
Richard Hale	...	Nathan Radley

Storyline

Small-town Alabama, 1932. Atticus Finch (played by Gregory Peck) is a lawyer and a widower. He has two young children, Jem and Scout. Atticus Finch is currently defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. Meanwhile, Jem and Scout are intrigued by their neighbours, the Radleys, and the mysterious, seldom-seen Boo Radley in particular.

---

Plot Keywords:

trial | lawyer | false accusation | based on novel | small town | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 March 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

To Kill a Mockingbird

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$357,549, 24 March 2019

Gross USA:

$592,237

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$599,146

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Art Directors Alexander Golitzen and Henry Bumstead had an entire reconstruction of the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, built on the Universal backlot at a cost of two hundred twenty-five thousand dollars. The set contained more than thirty buildings. It would have cost at least one hundred thousand dollars more, had Golitzen and Bumstead not learned of some Southern-style housing about to be demolished to make way for a new Los Angeles freeway. They bought a dozen of them and had them brought to the studio. Such efforts resulted in the two winning the Oscar for Best Art Direction the following year.

---

Goofs

While Atticus is giving his closing arguments standing before the jury, the camera briefly switches to Jem (at 1:38:21) sitting in the balcony and then quickly back to Atticus (at 1:38:24) who is now leaning on the rail in front of jury instead of standing stock straight. The cuts are not seamless. At 1:38:20 a close-up of Atticus ends where he is only seen from his elbows up and his thumbs may be tucked into the pockets of his vest. After the close-up of Jem, the scene cuts to a long shot of Atticus from the back of the courtroom standing on his left leg with this right leg resting on the bottom rail of the jury box, perhaps leaning with a stiff right arm on the top rail of the jury box and with his left arm across his chest perhaps grasping his right arm - in this pose, he says "In the name of God, believe Tom Robertson" and pauses for three seconds, at which time (1:38:36) the scene cuts to a close-up of Atticus from above his elbows up, apparently leaning with both arms on the top rail of the jury box, raising himself to an upright position.

---

Quotes

Atticus Finch: Did you rape Mayella Ewell?
Tom Robinson: I did not, sir.
Atticus Finch: Did you harm her in any way?
Tom Robinson: I did not.

---

Crazy Credits

The title is revealed in a child's crayon rubbing.

---

Connections

Featured in Parenthood: Too Big to Fail (2014)

User Reviews

enough can't be said

Enough good things can't be said about this movie. It is undoubtedly one of the best and most moving films ever made. No other racial injustice or discriminatory based movie can even compare with "To Kill a Mockingbird". This movie not only makes you sympathize with those who were being discriminated against, but also those who fought for those people. One of the most moving parts of the movie is when Atticus Finch is leaving the court room and Reverend Sykes tells Scout to "stand up your father is passing".

Gregory Peck has always been one of my favorite actors. This is definitely one of my favorite roles that he has ever played, and he does an excellent job at it. Mary Badham and Philip Alford are excellent as Jem and Scout. Mary Badham became the youngest girl to receive an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress for her role as Scout. Although it had a short time on screen, Robert Duvall's portrayal of "Boo" Radley was one of his very first roles on screen and what better movie than "To Kill a Mockingbird" to kick off your acting career.

A great movie of all times.