To Kill a Mockingbird

1962

Directed by Robert Mulligan

Netflix says… Southern comforts abound in this big-screen adaptation of Harper Lee’s novel as lawyer Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck, in an Oscar-winning role) defends an innocent black man (Brock Peters) against rape charges but ends up in a maelstrom of hate and prejudice. Meanwhile, with help from a friend (John Megna), Finch’s children, Jem (Phillip Alford) and Scout (Mary Badham), set their sights on making contact with a reclusive neighbor (Robert Duvall).

I’ve read this book twice and seen the stage version once. But I’ve never seen the movie. I read the book for the second time just last year (or the year before) around the time Go Set a Watchman was published. I wanted to re-read To Kill a Mockingbird as a refresher so I could read the sequel. I was moved more reading it as an adult than I remembered being when I read it as a kid. Anyway, seeing the movie bring what I read so recently brought to life is great. I’d say this is a movie that deserves its spot in the top 100 films of all time.

And now we’re in the top 25! When I started watching through the top 100 list, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get this far. Almost there…