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Every year around this time, when the air gets a bit of a chill to it, I find myself digging out my copy of To Kill A Mockingbird. It's not a story of autumn, really. It's more of a story about innocence falling away like the leaves of a tree. I'm hoping all of you know the story, but for the young 'uns who aren't so privileged, allow me a minute... Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) is a country lawyer in Maycomb, Alabama. He is also the father of two young children, Jem (Philip Alford) and Scout (Mary Badham). The story is told through the eyes of his daughter, Scout. It takes place over the course of a year or so, tracing the events in the life of this small girl, and her small town. The centerpiece of these events is a trial, the trial of a man accused of attacking a girl. The man happens to be a black man, the girl, a white girl. Atticus is appointed as the man's lawyer. What transpires in and around this trial form Scout's realizations about her life, her father, and the South. This is quite possibly one of the most perfectly made films in history, and I hold both the film and the book that inspired it dear. The book opened the world of literature to me, and the film showed me just how powerful the medium is. It is especially poignant in that it's filmed in black-and-white instead of color, which was available at the time. The choice by director Robert Mulligan to go monochrome not only makes the cinematography a treat for the eyes, but it makes a subtle statement on the issue of racism within the story. Though things seem black and white, there are numerous shades of gray that have to be taken into account to reveal the whole picture. Nothing is purely black and white. I am also amazed time and again by the powerful performance from Gregory Peck. Atticus Finch is a simple man -- not simple in a mindless way, but basic -- a man's man boiled down to its best essence, soft-spoken and well-read, but far from being a stodgy sort. He is raising two children the best he can by himself, and his ways of allowing them to think and form their own opinions are inspired. Peck barely raises his voice above speaking level throughout this movie, but his character almost seems to shout for respect and dignity. Mary Badham, too, to be as young as she was when this was made, delivers a performance that few child actors today could even dream of. Her mannerisms betray her age, showing us a child that has the same puzzlements about life as many adults do. Also look for Robert Duvall in his first screen appearance -- a brief one, yet key to unlocking many of the mysteries in young Scout's life. If you haven't seen this film in a while, consider this a nice alternative from the top renters on the shelf that you can never find. There's an anniversary edition available on video that sports a clean master of the film, as well as some interviews with the cast and director before the feature. So, feel free to light a fire in the fireplace, gather the family 'round, and all of you settle in to watch To Kill A Mockingbird. It will be as thought-provoking now as it was some 40 years ago. And, with a cast like this, you can also show the younger folks what an actor did for a living before action scenes and special effects took top billing. An actor acted. He or she took their talents to the extreme, and provided us all with characters that remain in the mind for years, or even decades, later.
Get "reel" soon,
See past Alternative Medicine columns: A Christmas Story | To Kill A Mockingbird | I Wanna Hold Your Hand | Kingpin | Joe Versus the Volcano | The Commitments | Indian Summer | The Big Lebowski | Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre | Empire Records | That Thing You Do! | The Ten Commandments | The Third Man | Waiting for Guffman
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