Film Forum

U.S., 1962
Directed By Robert Mulligan
Starring Gregory Peck, Brock Peters
Screenplay by Horton Foote
Based on the novel by Harper Lee
DCP. Approx. 129 min.

“You never know someone… until you step inside their skin and walk around a little.” In sweltering Depression-era Maycomb, Alabama, Gregory Peck's principled Atticus Finch defends a wrongfully accused young Black man (Brock Peters), while his daughter Scout (Mary Badham) and son Jem discover salvation in the most unlikely of heroes. Robert Duval’s screen debut with a memorable score from Elmer Bernstein. Winner of 3 Oscars including the first statuette for Peck.

Reviews

“Harper Lee's child's-eye view of southern bigotry gains something in its translation to the screen by Robert Mulligan, who knows exactly where to place the camera to catch a child's subjective experience.”
– Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader