To Kill a Mockingbird by Robert Mulligan - Movie Review Example

to kill a mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird is a film that discusses the issue of racial discrimination and prejudice amidst the Great Depression ofthe 1930s. The film, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee and directed by Robert Mulligan, starred Cary Grant as Atticus Finch, Mary Badham as Scout Finch, Philip Alford as Jem Finch, and John Megna as Dill Harris. It also the debut film of Robert Duvall, who took on the role of Boo Radley. Set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, the movie opens with Jem Finch initiating his sister Scout and his friend Dill to the mystery surrounding Boo Radley, making him sound like a sort of brute and madman. The story then gravitates to Atticus Finch accepting the charge of Judge Taylor to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of assaulting and raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Atticus' acceptance of the case creates a stir in their small community, which affects his children somewhat negatively until he explains to them that if he refuses to defend Tom Robinson, he will no longer be able to hold his head up high in their town, meaning that he will no longer be qualified to be a guide as to what is wrong or right. But while Atticus has proven the innocence of his client, he loses his case and Tom Robinson loses heart; Tom tries to escape and is killed. Bob Ewell attacks Jem and Scout afterwards, but they are saved by Boo Radley. The film attempts to portray with accuracy the disparity that existed between the white people and the colored people in the early part of the 20th century. The Jim Crow laws - laws delineating the segregation of the white people from the black people - are fully enforced at the time of the film's setting, which is 1932. It was a difficult time for the African Americans then; they were hardly treated like human beings. They are not allowed to use the same facilities. There are separate water fountains, public transports, theaters, restaurants, libraries and the like for blacks and for whites. They cannot be enrolled in the same school. They cannot intermarry. Blacks cannot be hired for any other jobs other than menial ones in some states. And while they have the right to vote, blacks have to pass certain tests and requirements in order to exercise that right, while the whites are not encumbered by such requirements. Examples of how the Jim Crow laws are applied back then are present in the movie, but while discrimination is one of the themes tackled by the film, the examples are not given jarring emphasis; rather, they blend well in the general flow of the story. One example is that two of the three black characters named in the film are employed in menial jobs. Tom Robinson is a field hand while Calpurnia works as a maid in the Finch household. White people at that time are prohibited from hiring black people except to do menial jobs. Other examples that can be seen in the film are the separate seating arrangement of blacks and whites in the county courthouse, Bob Ewell calling Tom's father "boy" even though the latter obviously looks far older than him, the attitude their society takes on the matter of a white woman having relations with a black man (as implied in the testimonies given by all parties involved during the trial), and the all-white jury that deliberated on the case of Tom Robinson. The all-white jury is probably the very reason why Atticus Finch lost his case, despite the success he achieved in casting the testimonies of the prosecution's witnesses in questionable light, as well as the compelling closing argument he gave to the jury. First, Atticus establishes that the bruises and injuries sustained by Mayella Ewell were mostly on the right side of her face and body, which means that the blows were dealt with the right hand of the assaulter, and that two hands are needed to pin her down. Second, he casts a shadow on Bob Ewell's character, making him seem an illiterate person who is given to rage and violence when drunk. Third, he makes Tom Robinson catch a glass, proving that Tom can only use his right hand, his left hand damaged in an accident when he was twelve years old. Fourth, he made Mayella, who testified that she cannot recall what happened exactly, is lying. And fifth, he managed to make Tom give a heart-rending testimony that ought to have convinced everyone with his innocence. As Atticus himself has stated later, after the trial, that Tom has more than a chance to win an appeal. He would not have said so if he did not believe that his client is innocent without a doubt, because Atticus as a character is an honest and principled man. Tom's fate is obviously the fault of the all-white jury, whose prejudice seems so ingrained that it is impossible for them to see the evidence before them clearly, and despite these evidence still condemned Tom because of his color, and because in their eyes, it seems, a white woman has been wronged and a white person cannot do any wrong. This film won three Academy Awards, among others. It was also named best picture in the Cannes Film Festival in 1963. The accolades are hardly surprising; it has a powerful story with a powerful theme and had a stellar casting, which includes Cary Grant. It is cleanly-made, with all scenes flowing smoothly from start to finish without obvious snags. The dialogues are simple and muted, without flowery words or dramatic exchanges, thus enabling the actors to emote with their faces and their gestures effectively, and not just with words. Cary Grant is a handsome and charismatic actor, perfect for the role of the wise and principled Atticus Finch. However, he seems like cardboard in this film. He rarely changes his facial expression, and he does not seem to have smiled in the movie's entirety. The words that came out of his mouth make him sound too wise that Atticus' character seems unreal. It is like Atticus is wearing a mask, a mask that was partly lifted only while he was waiting for the jury's verdict on Tom, and when Jem and Scout were attacked. On the other hand, the children playing Scout, Jem and Dill are adorable. They are a nice mixture of wisdom and innocence, and the confusion their characters feel at certain points of the story were made evident in their faces, so much that they seemed real. It is easy to empathize with their characters. Tom Robinson's appearance in the movie is short but compelling. The sincerity and honesty during the character's testimony in the trial makes his innocence so plain that it is hard not to feel disgusted with the decision given by the jury. The way the actor sweated, the way he flared his nostrils and the trembling while he makes his simple testimony makes it all seem utterly convincing. If there is one thing that should have been changed in the movie, one of them would probably the scene where Bob Ewell arrived in prison with a group of men, intending to lynch Tom. It was a pathetic attempt at lynching. Atticus was only one unarmed man with a trio of children hiding behind him; what can he do against a large group with some holding firearms On the whole, the movie itself is a gem. It may be a Hollywood production, but it seemed to have tried its best to remain accurate and true to the times it was set in. Read More