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Superman's favourite film is also one of the cinema going public's all-time beloved pictures. This is very easy to see, especially in the more tolerant racial climate of today in contrast to the 1960s. Gregory Peck is absolutely outstanding as Atticus Finch, the lawyer defending a black man accused of raping a white woman. Peck's personification as one of the 20th century's greatest film heroes has inevitably led to his career becoming synonymous with the role. I found his Academy Award winning performance understated however, which is not a bad point, as, true to Harper Lee's source material, he lets the kids take a lot of the spotlight in telling one of American literature's finest yarns. Peck may appear wooden to some people, but his ability to characterise a national treasure of a man who is both a widow and a lawyer with such inherent gusto makes his turn a showcase of acting capability. Robert Duvall's mysterious Boo Radley character scares me today, let alone what that make-up and those eyes would have done for the pre-shock and awe audiences of the film's original cinematic release. The silence of the character is a stark comparison to his gung-ho and near-psychotic Lt. Kilgore in Apocalypse Now (1979).
This is a social commentary and one of Hollywood's greatest ever actors epitomised at their very best. These two main factors along with the Tom Sawyer-like children, the wonderful music by Elmer Bernstein which captures the mood of The South at the time and the set design of a mostly-redneck village, make Robert Mulligan's film an absolute bona fide classic.
The extras
This 2 Disc Special Edition is highly recommended. The studio has picked up on the fact that Peck's career is most well known because of this film and the extra features are included accordingly - an excellent "Conversation with Gregory Peck" is the obvious highlight because of its length, but Academy Award and American Institute features are also very interesting. The "Making Of" featurette is very long, but highly detailed and again, very fascinating for fans of the film. The commentary and the "Conversation with Scout" extras are also very entertaining.
The summary
True film fans should not hesitate to have such a wonderful film as part of your DVD collection. Successful films are all about excellent storytelling and Mulligan et al define this trait to perfection. A must-have!
