Theater Arts: to Kill a Mockingbird, Essay Example

Question 1:  It is common to think that the theme of the 1962 film, To Kill a Mockingbird, is the evil of racism.  This is definitely true to an extent.  The plot structure of the movie increasingly revolves around the case Atticus Finch takes on, that of defending a black man unjustly accused of rape.  Then, racism in the small Southern town reveals itself in other ways, as Jem and Scout, Atticus’s children, must deal with the hatred of many of the people of the town directed at heir father.  The true subject of the film, however, is more complex than this.  Racism is a large part of it, but it has more to do with understanding the complex, and often harsh, facts of life as children grow up.  It is more a “coming of age” story than one dealing with racism because the heart of the film lies in Scout’s coming to realize that things are rarely what they appear to be.  The journey is often painful for her, but she moves through the film in a way that steadily evolves.  From a stubborn little girl, she becomes a young lady who has a real sense of the world around her, and how the people in it have many sides to them.

As the movie is composed of many episodes, most of which center on the lives of the Finch children, Scout’s evolution is carefully laid out as her understanding of the world grows.  In an early scene, she brings a poor boy home for lunch, and is shocked when the boy pours syrup over his meat.  Calpurnia, the housekeeper, takes her into the kitchen and teaches her an important life lesson right there, in regard to respecting anyone brought into the home.  Later, she and her brother witness their father shooting a rabid dog, and this opens their eyes further; their father has other sides to him they had never considered.  More effectively, other story elements combine to change Scout.  The man she and her brother had long feared and teased as crazy saves her life from the racist out to harm her, and this powerfully marks the theme of the film as expressing the hidden worlds children may grow to understand.

Question 2:  To Kill a Mockingbird is so well-crafted that its elements seem to act as one force.  To begin with, the narrative is perfectly linear, setting the scene with Scout and Jem as normal children in their hot, sleepy Southern town of the Depression Era.  What is most interesting is that there is actual narration provided by the voice of Scout as a woman, looking back on her life.  This narration, however, gives way to the actual scenes in a natural flow, and only exists to add essential information.  The entire story moves forward at a steady, graceful pace, and the viewer is able to take in a real feeling for the reality of these lives.  The linear narrative also enhances the building of tension, as the courtroom scenes only set the stage for greater drama to come.

The acting is uniformly excellent and very natural. This is especially true of Gregory Peck as Atticus, because the role is almost larger-than-life; he is a kind, good, and wise man fighting a lone battle with thew town, and gently raising his children as well.  Peck succeeds because his Atticus always reveals the deep sadness of his life as a widower.  Equally impressive, however, are Mary Badham as Scout and Phillip Alford as Jem.  They portray their roles in a way absolutely true to how children behave, and how a brother and sister fight. As with all great films, all the supporting parts are performed expertly.  Brock Peters as the unfairly accused black man, Tom Robinson, delivers a stunning performance on the witness stand, just as Rosemary Murphy, as a neighbor, suggests a warm and valuable intimacy with the Finch family.  Realism is in every performance, which enhances the changes the characters undergo.   An example of this is the brief scene with Ruth White as Mrs. Dubose, a grand old Southern woman who scolds Scout. As Atticus compliments her garden and charms her, she softens, just as a real woman would. In terms of real, dynamic growth, however, it is Mary Badham who achieves the most, as her wonderment over the things she encounters slowly turns into acceptance and understanding.  That this understanding is fully revealed only at the film’s end all the more supports how realistically the evolution occurs.

The cinematography is perfectly suited to the black-and-white film; in fact, it would probably be less successful in color because the scenes would be too “pretty.”  There is no glamorizing of any set or scene.  While the homes of the town are attractive, the viewer can still see the dust on the streets and hear the creaking of the doors and furniture. The lighting is also as realistically done as the acting, in that the glare of a summer noon comes across as real, in the backyard of the Finch home.  Even the extreme heat of the courtroom is presented naturally, as so many people crowded together sweat and fan themselves all the more.  Most interesting is that many camera angles and shots reflect the child’s viewpoint of Scout and Jem, but never in an obvious way.  This is most powerfully conveyed when the children, after sneaking into the “crazy” Radley home at night, run in terror and Jem gets caught trying to crawl under a fence.  The camera stays right there, reinforcing the fear and the tight space, but this only, and naturally, brings the viewer into Jem’s reality.  The lighting and camera work are most haunting at the end, when Boo Radley is finally revealed from the shadows behind a door.   With regard to editing, nothing struck me more powerfully that that in the scene when the racist mob confronts Atticus, demanding he release Tom Robinson so they can lynch him.  The camera gently cuts to the face of Scout as she recognizes a neighbor, Mr. Cunningham.  The cuts between Scout and Cunningham act as a process, wherein her knowledge of him shames him into calling off the manhunt.  Even more strikingly, after the crowd leaves, we hear Tom Robinson call out from the cabin.  He is never seen, and that this man only overheard how he was almost about to be murdered is brilliant editing.  Less sensational, but of equal quality, are the sets, props, costumes, and make-up.  It is a great accomplishment in that every single thing and person seems real, from the cheap cotton dresses worn by Calpurnia to the plain, sweating faces of the people of the town.

Question 3:  Director Robert Mulligan’s style throughout the entire film is consistent, and honors the story and the characters completely.  More exactly, he never sacrifices the integrity of a scene by going for an effect.  This is clear in the sequence when Atticus must shoot the rabid dog coming down the street.  The tension builds here as tension builds in real life when such dangers happen, and all the style of the film does is present the scenario in a natural way.  What the director achieves by doing this is layers of feeling.  Scout and Jem are excited as children would be; Calpurnia has a mature woman’s regard for safety motivating her own panic; and Atticus and the Sheriff are required to maintain control.  Shot after shot shows the mad dog approaching, both terrifying and still only a dog on a dusty street.  I believe this alone reveals Mulligan’s integrity and style because he completely honors the experience he is there to record.

In much the same way, the courthouse scenes are powerfully focused.  Mulligan understands that Mayella Ewell’s testimony about her alleged rape is critical, and that any excess in direction would undermine the force of the agony the girl undergoes in her conflict.  She is lying, she seems almost eager to tell her lie, but she is tortured as well.  Mulligan keeps his camera on her most of the time, not even resorting to extreme close-ups; he wants the audience to see the totality of this miserable victim of her sick family.  On a very different level, there is a scene earlier in the movie when Atticus must comfort Scout regarding the trouble she is in at school, because she can read already.  Again, Mulligan lets the moment take over.  The porch is in shadows, and Atticus takes Scout on his lap.  He reasons with her, and the bare direction reinforces – and actually reveals – the range of sadness in the character.  He makes a deal with Scout and the issue is settled, but what the viewer comes away with is what is never said; his pain at not having his wife there, to share in these moments.  Only the most minimal, “not fussy” direction can create so moving an effect.

Question 4:  My personal reaction to To Kill a Mockingbird is one of being highly impressed and deeply moved.  The film is so good that I do not feel as though I have been impressed by a movie, but by real people and a real story, and I can think of no higher praise for a film.  I was very taken with the simple elegance of the production, and how I could relate to the lives of these people so far removed from my own.  This is largely due, again, to how naturally and realistically the film tells it story, but even that seems to me a great achievement.  There are powerful lessons in To Kill a Mockingbird, but I never once felt as though I were being instructed, or led to feel or think a certain way.  More simply, as the characters went through their changes, I was with them, and more invested in every scene.

It is difficult to identify parts of a movie that are impressive when the movie is seamless.  If, for example, I say that the acting was the best element, I must acknowledge that the strength of that acting relied on great writing and subtle direction.  However, and speaking strictly from a personal level, I believe I value the film so highly because it has honesty.  By that I mean honesty in terms of all the flaws and traits that make up real life and real people, and I strongly relate to all of this.  The character of Dill, for example, is both tragic and comic as he makes up stories to hide a troubled past.  Just as I could feel for his motivations, I could appreciate that Scout and Jem liked him in spite of their suspicions.  This is what real life is about, and I am a little amazed that a movie so old could feel so modern to me in this regard.  I suppose that this degree of honesty is what makes a classic, and I absolutely feel that To Kill a Mockingbird fully deserves the status of a true film classic.