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 #97 | 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 - Prosecutor
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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

Academy Award winner! Best Actor Gregory Peck * Best Screenplay * Best Art Direction

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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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)

Gross USA:

$13,129,846, 31 December 1963

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.

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Goofs

The PF Flyers worn by Jem and Scout were not introduced until 1937.

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Quotes

Tom Robinson: Looks like she didn't have nobody to help her. I felt right sorry for her. She seemed...
Prosecutor: You felt sorry for her? A white woman? You felt sorry for her?

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Crazy Credits

introducing / Mary Badham as Scout / Phillip Alford as Jem

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Connections

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: America's Greatest Movies (1998)

User Reviews

It does the book justice.

After studying the outstanding book of To Kill A Mockingbird at school, I viewed this film, and was on the whole very impressed. Scout and Jem are portrayed brilliantly, considering the ages of the children who played them, and they, as with everything else in the production, are true to the book's spirit. Gregory Peck is perfect as the unflappable Atticus Finch, and deserved his Oscar. The music is worthy of praise, especially for the climatic scene, and the raw emotion and feeling of the book is amply conveyed. All of the cast are well cast, and it's interesting to ponder how much this film, at the time, would've shocked. That the book explores racism and outsiders in a southern town, through the eyes of a child is genius and works very nicely here. The only problems are minor- much of the book's counter-balancing humour was left out, certain characters are omitted (Dolphus Raymond and Aunt Alexandra), and some of the book's early characterisation is missed. Aside from these gripes, this is a magical film and a "must-see," as a companion piece to the classic novel. 9/10