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To Kill a Mockingbird Overview:

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) was a Crime - Drama Film directed by Robert Mulligan and produced by Alan J. Pakula.

The film was based on the novel of the same name written by Harper Lee published in 1960.

SYNOPSIS

One of the most beloved of classic movies speaks at once with the wisdom of years and with childlike innocence, capturing both voices flawlessly. Foote's adaptation of the Lee novel gives us a story of quiet courage and unexpected deliverance from the point of view of Scout (Badham), a six-year-old girl in the Depression-era South. She and her brother live with their widowed father Atticus (Peck), a lawyer and well-respected pillar of the community. Their world of play also contains the mystery of Boo Radley (Duvall), the reclusive boy next door rumored to be chained to his bed by his vicious father. The children's world parallels the serious business of Atticus's defense of a black man accused of attacking a white woman. The dignity of the accused and Peck's impassioned defense aren't enough to overcome the jury's racism. But the real attacker wants revenge, and the adult business and the children's world collide on a dark wooded path. All the performances seem to emerge from the dusty southern ground and the atmosphere clings like August heat. A beautifully realized drama cherished with each new generation.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

To Kill a Mockingbird was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1995.

Academy Awards 1962 --- Ceremony Number 35 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best ActorGregory PeckWon
Best Supporting ActressMary BadhamNominated
Best Art DirectionArt Direction: Alexander Golitzen, Henry Bumstead; Set Decoration: Oliver EmertWon
Best CinematographyRussell HarlanNominated
Best DirectorRobert MulliganNominated
Best Music - ScoringElmer BernsteinNominated
Best PictureAlan J. Pakula, ProducerNominated
Best WritingHorton FooteWon
See More Oscar Winners

To Kill a Mockingbird BlogHub Articles:

Gregory Peck is Atticus Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird"

By Stephen Reginald on Nov 24, 2022 From Classic Movie Man

Gregory Peck is Atticus Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird" To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) is an American drama directed by Robert Mulligan. The screenplay is by Horton Foote, and is based on the best-selling novel by Harper Lee. The book won the 1960 Pulitzer Prize for literature. The film stars Gr... Read full article

Field Trip: "To Kill a Mockingbird" on the Big Screen

By Stephen Reginald on Nov 8, 2022 From Classic Movie Man

Field Trip: "To Kill a Mockingbird" on the Big Screen 60th Anniversary of a ClassicExperience one of the most significant milestones in film history like never before with To Kill a Mockingbird. Gregory Peck stars as courageous Southern lawyer Atticus Finch--the Academy Award-winning performanc... Read full article

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962, Robert Mulligan)

on Jan 10, 2020 From The Stop Button

During To Kill a Mockingbird’s exceptional opening titles, I wondered how it was possible the film was going to look so amazing yet had no reputation for being some exquisitely, precisely directed piece of cinema. Then up came Stephen Frankfurt’s credit for title design, which kind of dulled my ... Read full article

Win Tickets to see “TCM Big Screen Classics: To Kill a Mockingbird” (Giveaway runs now through Mar 9)

By Annmarie Gatti on Feb 10, 2019 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

... Read full article

To Kill a Mockingbird: The Casting of Scout and Jem

By Annmarie Gatti on Aug 27, 2018 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

The Filming of To Kill a Mockingbird: The Casting of Scout & Jem Exclusive Excerpt from “Why to Kill a Mockingbird Matters” Another Big Thank You to author Tom Santopietro for hand-picking another excerpt for us – this time about the casting of Scout and Jem – from his book “W... Read full article

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To Kill a Mockingbird Quotes:

Atticus Finch: Good Afternoon Miss Dubose... My, you look like a picture this afternoon.
Scout: [hiding behind Atticus whispering to Jem and Dill] He don't say a picture of what.
Tom Robinson: I can't use my left hand at all. I got it caught in a cotton gin when I was twelve years old. All my muscles were tore loose.
Scout: Hey Miss Dubose.
Mrs. Dubose: Don't you say "hey" to me you ugly girl!
Sheriff Heck Tate: Didn't you know your daddy's the best shot in this county?
Scout: Jem is up in a tree, he said he won't come down until you agree to play football with the Methodists.
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To Kill a Mockingbird Facts
Mary Badham became the youngest girl to receive an Oscar nomination, ironically losing the award to another child actress, Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker.
Finch was writer Harper Lee's mother's maiden name.
The character of Dill is purportedly based upon Truman Capote, who had been a childhood friend of Harper Lee when he was sent to live with relatives in Lee's hometown each summer. Truman Capote, in turn, based one of his characters in his literary work "Other Voices, Other Rooms" upon his recollection of Harper Lee.
The first of six films director Robert Mulligan made with his producer partner, Alan J. Pakula.
Robert Duvall stayed out of the sun for six weeks and dyed his hair blond for the role of Boo Radley who, according to the story, spent much of his life as a recluse. The character of Arthur "Boo" Radley is based in part on Harper Lee's recollection of Alfred "Son" Bouleware, who lived with his parents in a dilapidated, mostly boarded-up house just a few doors away from the Lee home. He was kept secluded in the house by his father, following a vandalism incident in which young Alfred was involved. Described in the book and in the movie as leaving the house only at night because the sun hurt his eyes, this would indicate that Boo Radley was a person of Albinism (lack of pigment in the skin, in the hair, and in the irises of the eyes.)
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