To Kill a Mocking Bird A Review - Essay Example

The The To Kill a Mocking Bird – A Review The film, To Kill a Mocking Bird (1962), directed by Robert Mulligan andstarring Gregory Peck, is a powerful drama adapted from a novel of the same title by Harper Lee. The story dates back to early 1930s, when the narrator in the film, Scout, was 6 years old and lived in Maycomb county, Alabama, with her father, Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck), and elder brother, Jem, of age ten. Together with their seven years old friend, Dill Harris, the three children spend their time playing games during summers and spying on their neighbor, Boo Radley, rumored to be a mad and horrible man. Finch was a lawyer by profession, who accepted the case when asked by the town’s judge to represent a negro man, Tom Robinson, going to be charged with rape of a white girl, Mayella Ewell. Finch loses the case and Robinson gets killed by Sheriff Tate’s deputy while attempting escape. Despite contradictory evidence, the jury comprised of white men found Tom guilty as charged, who was later killed by Sheriff’s deputy while attempting escape. Later, Mayella’s father, Bob Ewell, attacked Scout and Jem but was killed by Radley. Sheriff persuaded Finch that killing Bob was in children’s defense and reported that Ewell fell on his knife. This essay aims to analyze and discuss facts of the cases depicted in the film, the significance and relevance of the roles played by prosecution and plaintiff in the courthouse, the entertainment value of the film and how it relates to the real world, the accuracy in depiction of the legal system and the effects movies have on public opinions (To Kill a Mockingbird). The case of State v. Robinson was central to the story of the film. Robinson was accused of committing crimes, i.e. raping and beating Mayella. According to the testimony of Sheriff Tate, Bob Ewell came to his office and reported that her daughter has been raped by a black man in his house. He went to the crime scene and saw that Mayella was severely beaten. She had abrasions on her head and arm, finger marks on her neck and black right eye, which occurred about half an hour before. She accused Robinson of the crimes and identified him. According to Mayella Ewell, Robinson helped her in chopping up an old chiffarobe for a nickel. She went inside the house to bring the nickel and when turned around, Robinson attacked, raped and repeatedly beat her. She struggled and screamed and then saw her father standing over her asking who did it. According to Bob Ewell, he was coming home from the woods and heard Mayella screaming upon reaching the fence. He rushed to the window and saw Robinson with her, who then ran away through the front door. It room was upset like there had been a fight. In his testimony, Robinson maintained that he has been to Mayella’s house before to help her with her daily chores occasionally. However, he never helped her for money but just because he felt sorry for her. Mayella asked him to come inside the house to fix the door hinges which did not need fixing and closed the door. It was she who grabbed his legs when he was standing on a chair to get a box off the chiffarobe and came on to him. Upon hearing Bob Ewell shouting, he felt scared and ran away (To Kill a Mockingbird). The questions, whether Robinson came to Mayella’s house to help her with the chiffarobe and she displayed marks of having been beaten up around that time, remained undisputed. The defense had to prove that prosecution’s stance was based on false testimonies by Ewells and Robinson was innocent. During cross-examining testimonies of Sheriff Tate and Bob, Finch tried to establish that medical verification of alleged assault and rape had not been conducted, finger marks show that she was choked with both hands, most of her injuries were inflicted by a left-handed person, and that Bob was left-handed. He attempted to relate this information later to the fact that Robinson was crippled in his right-hand and the testimonies of Ewells were misleading. The testimonies of Bob and Mayella also contained contradictory statements. For instance, Mayella said that her father was asking her, ‘who did it’, whereas Bob stated that he saw Robinson himself. The defense also established that Bob gets drunk and becomes intolerable at times. The prosecution did not consider these facts and tried to use Robinson’s sympathy towards Mayella as the reason for the crime. Thus, it becomes evident that prosecution failed to meet its burden in proving, beyond a reasonable doubt, Robinson guilty (To Kill a Mockingbird). In a time when evils such as poverty, social injustice, intolerance, racial discrimination and prejudices were deeply rooted, the film’s portrayal of legal system in a deep southern town seems quite realistic. It turned out that legal system in Maycomb was only as fair as the people it served and righteousness was so easily recognizable, even to a child of Scout’s age and naivety. The ineffective role of Judge Taylor as a representative of state and upholding the law was reflection of the morally corrupt and helpless legal system in a racially segregated society. Sheriff Tate did not seek medical confirmation of assault and rape, which was imperative to the decision of the case. Such negligence may lead to conviction of anyone accused. At summation of his arguments, Finch had persuaded the jury to come up with a decision which sets prejudices aside and upholds the law. However, it is not difficult to comprehend in such an amoral system that how the jury, consisting of all white men, found Robinson guilty regardless of obvious contradictory evidence. Robinson’s suicide highlights another aspect. It remains unclear whether Finch was able to believe in Sheriff’s story in such a complicated hostile situation. It is shown that despite resistance and immoral legal regime, Finch followed practice demanded by the rule of law. However, his utter disappointment in the legal system became evident when Sheriff Tate bent the law in reporting the cause of Bob’s death with his apparent consent (To Kill a Mockingbird). The film was brilliantly performed, engaging and entertaining. The naturalness of court-room mini-drama and child characters added to the appeal of the film. However, film includes a number of entertaining yet implausible scenes. For instance, there were no voices of triumph or protest heard when the jury reads the verdict. The silence does not seem actual regarding the real world scenario and adds to the audience’s concentration and dramatic effect only. No matter how unprofessional Judge Taylor’s courtroom proceedings were, the people sitting in the courtroom so casually with their legs over chair’s arm seems totally unrealistic. The scene which depicts people crowded outside the jail where Robinson was kept a night before his trial faces Finch and the children also emphasizes only a dramatic effect. The mob wanted to kill Robinson, but Scout recognizes the man who paid nuts as payment for entailment earlier in the film. In the disguise of Scout’s innocent words, the mob was shamed into leaving. However, it is highly unlikely in the real world that such a violent mob in that particular time would be so easily turned away by a little girl. When Finch lost the case and everyone had quickly moved outside except the children and black people, the reverend stands along with others and tells Scout, “"Miss Jean Louise, stand up, your father is passing” (To Kill a Mockingbird). This was also a good addition for dramatic effects and unlikely to happen in reality. Although fear of white people might be common due to racial discrimination in those times, it is also hard to believe that Bob showed up at Robinson’s house when he is dead, ridicules one of the men and still remains untouched (To Kill a Mockingbird). Like paintings, movies are pieces of art which often tend to inspire people. Because of their vivacious, comprehensive and extensive portrayal of people, places, ideas and events, audience is increasingly attracted towards this medium. Along with entertainment, some films include morals, interpretations and solutions to the complex real world problems, while others depict joys and suffering inherent in human nature. They greatly influence human psychology and thus have effects on directing or manipulating the collective as well as individual public opinions and practice. They convey intensive knowledge in a multitude of forms and colors to audience without discrimination. Because of different thinking, experiences, beliefs and cultures, audience perceive the meanings differently and react according to those perception. The knowledge and skills acquired through films can help construct peaceful and progressive societies or lead to destruction of widely held norms, values and beliefs. They provide with tremendous opportunities for encouraging moral values such as social tolerance, harmony and equality in societies. For example, the character of Finch in this film stands out as the one who impressed the audience with his brave, just, tolerant and sympathetic demeanor. Conversely, a society will gradually become prone to violence and intolerance if films encourage violent behavior in a society (To Kill a Mockingbird). References To Kill a Mockingbird. Writ. Harper Lee. Screenplay by Horton Foote. Dir. Robert Mulligan. Perfs. Gregory Peck, Brock Peters, Mary Badham. 1962. DVD. Universal, 2005. Read More