To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)

There seems to be a never-ending supply of Great Depression movies. I'm no economist but they tell me that the Stock Market crash was kind of a big deal. I, rather than investing my money in stocks, have invested my money in fast food. The amount of money I spend on cheeseburgers every month would make your head spin. I suppose it's a bad investment. Anyway, To Kill
A Mockingbird takes place a few years after the Stock Market crash and is a film about racism, childhood innocence, the loss of that innocence, and the creepy neighbor next door.

Gregory Peck plays Atticus Finch, a mild mannered lawyer who is also a widower with two kids. Gregory Peck, in real life, had three kids and from what I understand they were quite a handful:



Mr. Finch's two kids, Scout and Jem, are the definition of "children living in a simpler time." The storyline (both in the book and the movie) is from Scout's perspective. The story has two main bullet points:

1) The elusive, and supposedly insane, Boo Radley. Like all childhood fears everything that is known about Boo is a "I heard it from a guy, who heard it from another guy" kind of scenario. All that is known for certain through most of the movie is that Boo is living in the basement and only comes out at night.

2) The trial of a black man accused of raping a white woman (you can imagine what a big deal this would be in the 30's). This is where most of the racism is addressed.

It's hard to give a meaningful review of this movie without giving too much of the plot away. I will just simply say that this movie causes many emotions to be felt, is a brilliant sample of Americana, and the ending gave me chills. The movie made me want to read the book again because so much of the book is not included in the film. For example the book gives a lot of detail about Boo's past where the movie does not. This gives the ending of the movie kind of an abrupt unresolved feeling, but to that I say, "If you're worried about being disappointed by the abrupt ending then pick up the freaking book and read it dummy."

The bottom line:
Rating: 4.2
Would I own it? Maybe...I did go out and buy the book right after the movie got over.
Would I recommend it? I already have.