The trial of a lifetime in To Kill a Mockingbird
“If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you'll get along a
lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until
you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his
skin and walk around in it.”
-Atticus Finch
To Kill a Mockingbird may be one of the most important and influential
films of all time. The film is adapted from one of the greatest, and most
influential American novels of all time so it’s greatness shouldn’t be too much
of a surprise, but what is surprising is that the message brought to life on
screen may be more powerful than that written down on the page.
To Kill a Mockingbird on film is able to not only portray
the story through the eyes of young Scout (Mary Badham) but to keep in focus
the great, almost heroic Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck). The film never tells the
story through Finch’s perspective but keeps his emotions in play just as much
as the kid. This makes the trial of the African American at the end of the film
much more powerful and emotionally impactful while never losing the innocence
of the coming of age story presented through the eyes of the young girl.
What makes To Kill a Mockingbird such a special film is not
only how it delivers its story and message but the message itself. Prejudice,
of all sorts is still massively present in modern society and the weight of not
only the trial but the adventures with the children brings those prejudices to
light head on. The message in the film is just as important today as it is to
the people of the 1960’s making this a relic that needs to be cherished.
The other great piece of the film is the flow of emotions.
Seeing events through the perception of Scout finds us generally feeling the
emotions that are present within her and the people all around her. These
characters and emotional battles with life hit hard and frequent allowing the
viewer to really put themselves in many of the character’s shoes. It’s an
amazing part of the film that makes it stand out as a true masterpiece.
To Kill a Mockingbird is an unforgettable Drama that is
still one of the most important films of all time over 50 years later.
-Frederick Cholowski
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