If there is any movie made frame-for-frame as if intended for large families to watch together, young and old alike, it must be “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
There is a tense courtroom drama starring the heroic, impeccable Gregory Peck. There are obvious and subtle lessons on race and class in the Jim Crow South. There is a Gothic tale of a haunted house and a creeping monster. And there are long interludes that are pure child’s play, literally, as Scout and Jem make the transition from innocence to life in a broader world.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” is a black-and-white masterpiece, cinematically and sociologically. True in letter and spirit to Harper Lee’s revered book, the 1962 film tells the story of stoic lawyer Atticus Finch and his family over three crucial years. Atticus (Peck) is a widower taking small law cases in exchange for hickory nuts and chicken pies in a hardscrabble Alabama town.
His children are largely oblivious to the town’s racism and economic backwardness. They amuse themselves in ways all kids will relate to, and ponder the mysteries of Boo Radley, the spooky figure who lives next door.
Reality comes crashing in when Atticus has to defend a black man against the false rape accusations of drunk white trash. The town turns against Atticus, and the children have to see their father through new eyes.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” is long, and slower-paced than most of your children’s favorites. I suggest breaking it up into two or three parts to keep their attention.
It’s a film full of both triumphant heroism and terrible comeuppance for anyone who believes heroics can save the day. Just let the kids linger on accused black rapist Tom’s face when he looks out on a sea of white faces in a courtroom and realizes he is doomed, no matter what logic Atticus brings to the case. Seeing the world through the eyes of others is one of the many wonders of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
“To Kill a Mockingbird”
Rated: Not rated, but kids will need to be 10 or older to understand the greater themes.
Best suited for: Children 10 or older, and parents who can fill in details, and break the viewing up into three or four nights of serial watching.
