Universal
December 25, 1962
Historical Drama
DVD
B-
I've seen this movie a few times over the years, including I think on the big screen in the past twenty years. I gave the Harper Lee novel a B eleven years ago (https://rereadingeverybookiown.blogspot.com/2012/06/to-kill-mockingbird.html) and I thought I might give the film one as well. But, while I think the adaptation, by Horton Foote, is still pretty good, I felt less drawn in this time. It's a combination of how the central tragedy happens mostly offscreen and the way that other characters, including Dill and his aunt, are not as fully developed as they could be. (They probably were more so in the book, but I don't recall.) The two main performances, by Oscar-winning Gregory Peck and non-child-actress Mary Badham as his daughter, remain strong and the movie did mostly hold my interest throughout. This time, even on a TV screen, I was really impressed by the sets.
Robert Mulligan directed.
