"Oh Gregory! You have a little pot belly just like my Daddy!" - Harper Lee
The movie is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name by Harper Lee. Lee wanted to be the Jane Austen of southern Alabama, and while not as prolific, she most certainly had a great effect on the south. Some scholars argue Mockingbird was a substantial influence in the Civil Rights Movement of the 60's.
During filming for the scene where Jem, Scout and Dill meet Atticus Finch and walk back towards their house while discussing the day, Gregory Peck noticed Harper Lee watching from off camera. She had what seemed to be a glistening or dampness on her cheek. When a rather puffed up Peck inquired about the effect of the scene on the author, that was the quote. Dill was based on Lee's friend Truman Capote. Capote was rumored to be a major contributor in the writing of Mockingbird but that has since been disproven.
1962 was a great year. Most importantly, yours truly arrived kicking and screaming into this world. I guess some of the other notable happenings in the movies should be mentioned as well. Number 7 on the AFI list, "Lawrence of Arabia" was the big winner at the Oscars (10 nominations and 7 wins), followed by "To Kill a Mockingbird" with 8 nominations and 3 wins (Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Black & White - , and the best Actor). Gregory Peck won Best Actor in a Leading Role against Burt Lancaster, Jack Lemmon, Peter O'Toole and Marcello Mastrioianni. You probably recognize at least the first three names on that list. This was after a drought for Peck. He was nominated for Best Actor at the 18th ("The Keys to the Kingdom"), 19th ("The Yearling"), 20th ("Gentleman's Agreement") and 22nd ("Twelve O'Clock High") Oscars but didn't win. He then starred in a string of films for 13 years or so. Nothing special, just films such as Moby Dick, The Snows of Kilimanjaro and such.
Peck's favorite movie and favorite role is forever associated with him and affected his life greatly. He formed a friendship with Scout (Mary Badham) that lasted the rest of his life. His grandson was named Harper Daniel Peck. He cherished the pocket watch of Harper Lee's father that was given to him and he remained in touch with Harper for his lifetime. The role transformed Peck as it did countless lives. In a 1999 documentary by his daughter Cecilia Peck, a man asks for Gregory to autograph an original movie poster from Mockingbird. The movie didn't affect the man much at all. He only saw it at 13 and decided to become a lawyer. Then, as he said, the movie was important to him not only because it led him to become a lawyer but more importantly because it taught him about being a father. So much so that he named his first son Atticus.
I wish I had seen this movie once a month while my son was growing up. Every father should be required to watch this movie many, many times. If only once a month I could have shown the patience of Atticus Finch rather than having shown my own impatience, I would look back at my parenting experience more fondly and I'd imagine my son would as well. Sorry, son.
"Miss Jean Louise stand up! Your father is passing." - Reverend Sykes
Peck's performance as the Lawyer Atticus Finch is astounding. The timing is impeccable and gives a weight to the dialog that is jaw dropping. Peck later said he struggled to not go over the top with the performance. He said he needed to reign in the emotion to keep it believable. I don't have a lot of experience in courtrooms, but I certainly bought it. The performance of the cast was spot on in the courtroom. Brock Peters plays the defendant with subtlety and a sense of almost quiet desperation. James Anderson played Robert E. Lee 'Bob' Ewell so well you can almost feel the malevolence. His daughter Mayella (Collin Wilcox Patton) is believable and powerful.
Another small confession to make. At the time of this writing I'm 48 years old. Every time I see/hear that quote above in the movie I tear up. EVERY time.
The scene when Bob Ewell spits on Atticus is amazing. The interplay between the two actors. The indignation and fury of Finch. The fear of Ewell. Awesome.
"Thank you for my children" - Atticus Finch
Arthur 'Boo' Radley (Robert Duvall) has no lines in the movie but still manages significant emotion with only his eyes and body language. This was Duvall's debut in feature films. He only followed that up with appearances in 4 more of the top 100 on AFI's list (M.A.S.H., Network, Godfather (I and II)).
I wish I'd seen this movie years ago. I knew the basic story. I'd seen the movie in pieces over the years but never actually watched the whole thing.
I wouldn't be surprised to see this movie on "the list" for longer than I'm around. But if I'm not around, how would I know? Doesn't matter much.
