Ranked 34 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest American Films, To Kill a Mockingbird is quite simply one of the finest family-oriented dramas ever made. A beautiful and deeply affecting adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, the film retains a timeless quality that transcends its historically dated subject matter (racism in the Depression-era South) and remains powerfully resonant in present-day America with its advocacy of tolerance, justice, integrity and loving, responsible parenthood. It's tempting to call this an important "message" movie that should be required viewing for children and adults alike, but this riveting courtroom drama is anything but stodgy or pedantic. As Atticus Finch, the small-town Alabama lawyer and widower father of two, Gregory Peck gives one of his finest performances with his impassioned defence of a black man (Brock Peters) wrongfully accused of the rape and assault of a young white woman. While his children, Scout (Mary Badham) and Jem (Philip Alford), learn the realities of racial prejudice and irrational hatred, they also learn to overcome their fear of the unknown as personified by their mysterious, mostly unseen neighbour Boo Radley (Robert Duvall, in his brilliant, almost completely nonverbal screen debut). What emerges from this evocative, exquisitely filmed drama is a pure distillation of the themes of Harper Lee's enduring novel, a showcase for some of the finest American acting ever assembled in one film, and a rare quality of humanitarian artistry (including Horton Foote's splendid screenplay and Elmer Bernstein's outstanding score) that seems all but lost in the chaotic morass of modern cinema. --Jeff Shannon

To Kill A Mockingbird
Lone fathers and their kids have been a hit in many movies. I have severl examples, like, Ryan and Tatum O'Neil in Paper Moon, Jon Voight and Ricky Schroeder in the re-make of 'The Champ' and Dustin Hoffman and Justin Henry in Kramer vs Kramer. Gregory Peck, won an Academy Award, for playing a sole parent, and he's never been better. The script for this movie was based upon Harper Lee's sensitive and intelligent novel set in racially-torn Alabama. Gregory Peck, plays Atticus Finch, a wise lawyer bravely raising his two kids Jem(Phillip Alford) and Scout(Mary Badham) in the hot-headed Southern town. The crux of the plot is Finch's defence of a colored man accused of rape. The film was put together by two excellent film-makers, producer Alan J. Pakula and director Robert Mulligan.

Is this dvd edition anamorphic or not? I would like to know that before buying.

all has been written about this film but i watched it on tv 3/5/o8 and the first part where black farmer helps the young girl was not in the scene it cuts straight to when gregory peck accepts the case so which version on dvd has the original version not the cut version as this sets up the film and to cut a classic like this is the pits .

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.

The setting for this movie is a dusty southern town in Alabama during the depression and is shot through the perspective of a child's eye. Mr. Gregory Peck does a superb job of playing a southern lawyer who defends a black man who is accused of rape by a white woman and her father. There is no question as you watch the movie of two things; the outcome of the trial and the fact the man is obviously innocent.

In this movie we have a great example of a man, Gregory Pecks character, setting a good example of a parent and of being a good member of a community. He instills good values in his children, shows tremendous courage and strength of character. He teaches that you cannot judge a person until you can see the world through their eyes. He is a peerless man, in that everyone is his peer. This is a film whole families should watch together.