To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
94%RT Audience Score: 92%
Awards & Nominations: Won 3 Oscars
14 wins & 16 nominations total
To Kill a Mockingbird is a textbook example of a message movie done right — sober-minded and earnest, but never letting its social conscience get in the way of gripping drama.
To Kill a Mockingbird” is like a time machine that takes you back to a simpler time, when people wore linen suits and tortoiseshell glasses were all the rage. But don’t let the old-fashioned setting fool you, this movie is still relevant today, especially with all the toxic arguments of contemporary identity politics advocates. Plus, Gregory Peck’s performance is so mesmerizing, you’ll forget you’re watching a movie and feel like you’re right there in Maycomb, Alabama. It’s a classic for a reason, folks.
Production Company(ies)
Pakula-Mulligan Brentwood Productions,
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Monroeville, Alabama, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Approved
Year of Release
1963
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 9m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 1962 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 28, 1998
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Phillip Alford, John Megna, Brock Peters, Robert Duvall, directed by Robert Mulligan, written by Harper Lee, Horton Foote, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Kate Muir, Andrew Sarris, Marc Lee, Joe Morgenstern, Roger Ebert, Dave Kehr, Anton Bitel, Sarah Brinks, Joanne Laurier, Marlene Matouk, Nicholas Bell, MPAA rating, produced by Alan J Pakula, message movie, social conscience, racism, stereotyping, lawyer, court case, Cult of Childhood, Negro Problem, tortoiseshell glasses, cream linen suit, sober-minded, earnest, gripping drama, time capsule, historical horror, American classic film canon, child’s-eye view, southern bigotry, toxic arguments, contemporary identity politics advocates, suspenseful music, stunning visuals, thrilling music, topnotch adaptation, timeless literary classic, outstanding courtroom scene
Worldwide gross: $599,146
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $6,580,244
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,093
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 717,584
US/Canada gross: $592,237
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $6,504,365
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,732
US/Canada opening weekend: $357,549
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $3,926,855
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,135
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $2,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $21,965,412
Production budget ranking: 1,326
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $11,828,374
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$27,213,542
ROI to date (est.): -81%
ROI ranking: 1,885
Mary Badham – Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch
Phillip Alford – Jem Finch
John Megna – Charles Baker ‘Dill’ Harris
Brock Peters – Tom Robinson
Robert Duvall – Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley
Director(s)
Robert Mulligan
Writer(s)
Harper Lee, Horton Foote
Producer(s)
Alan J. Pakula
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 3 Oscars
14 wins & 16 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (67) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (62) | Rotten (5)
Peck’s performance, in tortoiseshell glasses and a cream linen suit, is mesmerizing and serious.
February 23, 2016
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
“To Kill a Mockingbird” relates the Cult of Childhood to the Negro Problem with disastrous results.
February 22, 2016
Andrew Sarris
Village Voice
TOP CRITIC
As Mulligan so deftly demonstrates, the story is in the characters, their failings and fragility, their heroism and nobility of spirit.
February 3, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Marc Lee
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Justly celebrated.
August 13, 2011
Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal
TOP CRITIC
To Kill a Mockingbird is a time capsule, preserving hopes and sentiments from a kinder, gentler, more naive America.
July 25, 2011 | Rating: 2.5/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
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.
July 25, 2011
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
After the film’s pivotal court case is over, a coda takes place on one long October night, in which all the film’s themes of crime, prejudice and scapegoating come together in a moment of autumnal horror.
October 21, 2021
Anton Bitel
BFI
Atticus is certainly an idealistic character, but he is also a struggling father and lawyer. Gregory Peck’s performance in the film is perfect for the character.
April 1, 2021
Sarah Brinks
Battleship Pretension
The movie takes on a new significance, however, in light of the toxic arguments of contemporary identity politics advocates.
February 17, 2021
Joanne Laurier
World Socialist Web Site
It’s so very dramatic and dynamic; it’s homey without being corny, it’s excellent entertainment on any level.
January 13, 2021
Marlene Matouk
Tampa Bay Times
As it stands, the film is one of the most significant examples of historical horror in the American classic film canon.
November 19, 2020
Nicholas Bell
IONCINEMA.com
One of the greatest films of all-time.
September 26, 2020 | Rating: 4.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com…
Plot
Small-town Alabama, 1932. Atticus Finch (played by Gregory Peck) is a lawyer and a widower. He has two young children, Jem and Scout. Atticus Finch is currently defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. Meanwhile, Jem and Scout are intrigued by their neighbours, the Radleys, and the mysterious, seldom-seen Boo Radley in particular.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Gregory Peck’s performance as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird is considered mesmerizing and serious by critics.
Robert-Mulligan.jpg
