A magnificent adaptation of a timeless classic

Alan Pakula, Robert Mulligan and Horton Foote have made an absolutely terrific movie of one of the greatest books in contemporary fiction. The three years covered in the book are compressed into one year in the movie, and almost everything of importance is kept in the film version. Shooting the movie in black and white was inspired. It symbolizes the stark reality of black vs. white that is at the core of the novel.

The acting is extraordinary across the board. Of Gregory Peck, so much has been said that further praise is redundant; suffice to say that after Peck's performance, no one else will ever be able to play Atticus Finch. The children are wonderful, so real that they hardly seem to be acting at all. Mary Badham is absolutely perfect as Scout. Phillip Alford is excellent as Jem, and John Megna is fine as Dill. The lesser actors live up to the lead roles. I especially liked Collin Wilcox as Mayella Ewell; James Anderson brings out all the ugliness and cowardice in Bob Ewell, and Alice Ghostley is a funny and wacky Stephanie Crawford.

The three characters who didn't live up to their counterparts in the book were Miss Maudie, Calpurnia, and Tom Robinson. Ms. Maudie is a very intriguing character in the novel, a ditzy, wise, funny woman of bedrock integrity; in the movie, she comes across as just another next door neighbor. Calpurnia's part was far too small in the movie; in the book she plays a major role in the family, almost like a surrogate parent. Estelle Evans is a fine actress and deserved a bigger role to give her talent more scope. And Tom Robinson is almost too saintly to be believed in the film version, over-acted by Brock Peters. But Robert Duvall in a non-speaking movie debut is just right as Boo Radley, and Scout's recognition of her formerly scary neighbor, with her tentative smile followed by 'Hey Boo', is one of the most affecting moments in the picture.

I still remember when Peck won the Oscar for best actor; in his acceptance speech, his first words were 'Thank you, Harper Lee.' The movie 'To Kill A Mockingbird' is a labor of love of bringing a timeless classic to the screen, and Harper Lee must have been very gratified at the results.