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 #119 | 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 Pulitzer Prize book now comes vividly alive on the screen!

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Official credited film debut of Robert Duvall, who had no dialogue.

---

Goofs

The law books disappear from the mantelpiece when Scout returns from walking Boo Radley home (at 2:08:17). This would be the bedroom with a fireplace and a woman's photograph on its mantel. The law books were never on the mantel, they were on a dresser (or tall writing desk) beside the bed (at 1:58:26). In some shots, they seemed to be on a mantel (at 2:01:36) because the dresser is cropped off by the bottom of the frame.

---

Quotes

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

---

Crazy Credits

introducing / Mary Badham as Scout / Phillip Alford as Jem

---

Connections

Referenced in Monster in a Box (1992)

User Reviews

An Unforgettable Drama

Hoo boy, am I a sucker for courtroom dramas. The wrangling of legal points and the investigation into the truth just gets my cinematic blood pumping (I s'pose it's in response to my own dashed hopes of becoming an attorney).

"To Kill a Mockingbird" rises to the top of the pile easily.

Yes, the courtroom proceedings are nail-bitingly engaging. But played out against the tapestry of bigotry and hate make the legal goings-on even more compelling.

The writing here is so beautiful, so lyric, so poetic. The Harper Lee-based screenplay captures wonderfully a time and a place that are absolutely real--where big brothers could solve the universe's problems in an instant and all the treasures of the world could be contained in a cigar box.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" also contains three of the most impressive child performances I have ever witnessed--there's not a false or affected moment in any one of them. Until seeing "Ponette," a movie I would highly recommend, the kids in "Mockingbird" received my best child performance ever awards. "Ponette" has ratcheted them down one notch, but that doesn't diminish the achievement here. The scene in which Scout dispels the mob simply by identifying its individual members is one of the most powerful moments in filmdom.

Peck more than deserved his best actor nod. His quiet dignity is a definite asset. Brock Peters, too, is terrific in what could have been a cliched role.

If you are a moviegoer who has a bias against black and white movies and who has therefore never seen "Mockingbird," I pity you. You've passed on one of Hollywood's most unforgettable experiences.

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:

Pakula-Mulligan, Brentwood Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1