Movie Review: To Kill a Mockingbird
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What Parents Should Know
Young children will identify with Scout, but the material
might be more than you would want your kid to take in. Preteens
will like the story, but mature themes may be confusing for
them -- a post-video discussion is advised.
In addition, most kids are assigned the book sometime during junior high school, but if anyone in your family over eleven hasn't read it, get a copy and place on the bookshelf next to the video tape. Both the viewing and the reading experiences will leave everybody intellectually and emotionally brimming.
Common Sense Media Review
This Hollywood masterpiece offers crucial lessons about
prejudice and the fears that motivate it. Children will
appreciate a movie that respects their intelligence and reaches
for the heart without gimmicks and overly cute characters. A
family viewing can lead to a stimulating post-video
discussion.
Gregory Peck's stolid presence anchors the movie. In an Academy Award-winning performance, Peck portrays Atticus as a paragon of decency, standing for tolerance and non-violence at all costs. (There is a strong anti-gun subtext throughout the movie.) He's also a loving, nurturing father who treats everyone around him, including his children, with respect -- the model parent.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is finely crafted with a perfectly balanced script by Horton Foote. Despite the ugly truths portrayed here, a gentle goodness pervades, even during the darkest of moments. Foote includes more than lynch mobs and courtroom fireworks; he also offers lower key, intimate moments. Like when young Scout questions her older brother about their deceased mother. Or, on a lighter note, when Scout fidgets during her first day of school; the tomboy can't get comfortable in her new dress.
Remember that Foote, who was also awarded a well-deserved Oscar, had wonderful source material. Harper Lee's novel is at least as spellbinding and socially observant as the movie. Most kids are assigned the book sometime during junior high school, but if anyone in your family over eleven hasn't read it, get a copy and place on the bookshelf next to the video tape. Both the viewing and the reading experiences will leave everybody intellectually and emotionally brimming.
Another provocative courtroom classic, set in the South, from the same era is Inherit the Wind.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
