Thankfully, my mother recommended I read the book about a month before seeing the film and of course there was things left out in the film. The biggest difference is the book is told through the eyes of Scout, the 6 year old girl (who gradually gets older), and the movie has a couple brief voiceovers, but for the most part, the narrative is omnipresent. Also, the preacher and nanny/househelper also have bigger roles, as well as their aunt.
While reading the book. The biggest issue that I had was I wanted to know what was going on. When I finished the book, I thought the pacing was brilliant, because what child that age could understand such a complex and cruel world as it portrayed.
The film manages to carry the heart and tone of the book, and it does take some liberties to condense the story, even though the film manages to be fairly long at a running time of 130min, I didn't get bored with a slavish interpretation.
Gregory Peck is absolutely fantastic in this film. He plays a poor white lawyer who has taken a case in which a black man has supposedly raped a white woman. He also is helping support his children Scout and Jeb as they grow up. By the way, it's also nice to see a film with a single father, who is a good father and knows what's best for his kids, instead of the typical message that I see: Men can't take care of children without the close help of a woman. It's nice to see a positive single father role.
50 years ago this film was made (and yes, the only reason I know this is because they just released the 50th anniversary collection on Blu Ray), and my, does it hold up, but the world has changed a lot. Blacks and whites (for the most part) are equals, and interacial dating is very common. And segregation wouldn't be seen as such in a courtcase (blacks in the back, whites in the front). As I might be in the minority. I can't in good consciousness spoil this movie, as I could with something else, partly because I read the book and saw the movie without knowing anything about it, except it was about racial tension.
This film is inspiring, heartbreaking, and a masterpiece. I can't recommend it enough. (I didn't read or see it in high school). While the racial tension is toned down in the movie (the casual use of the N word in the novel was rather surprising), I can only imagine how powerful it must've been for someone living during the time. Talk about relevance: The civil rights movement was going on during this time.
Overall: 91%
Note:if you hadn't noticed, my name is Robert Mulligan, though I normally go by Ren, it's really cool to named shared with the director of such a fine film.
Top 5 movies about Racism:
5. To Kill a Mockingbird
4. Malcolm X
3. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
2. American History X
1. Do the Right Thing
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