"To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962) Watch along
Added 2024-06-24 16:00:12 +0000 UTCI loved this movie and it touched my soul in a profound way. Watching the injustices are painful but the story told from Scout and Jem's perspective really gave the film innocence and tenderness. The portrayal of courage and moral integrity, especially through the character of Atticus Finch, left a lasting impression on me. I will never forget this film.
Thank you for being here with me! xx
ames
Comments
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the film. I try to keep discussions on this platform focused on movies and entertainment, so let's steer clear of political topics. I appreciate your support and understanding!
Amalia Wolf
2024-09-02 20:53:05 +0000 UTCI love this film. I have watched it many times. I am probably one of the few who likes it even more than the Harper Lee novel. But I do think racism is alive and doing very well in America. But not the racism we see in this film. The racism today is against white people. And it's only getting worse.
thansen
2024-09-02 20:42:28 +0000 UTCWow, wonderful comments and very cool info on Duvall, Hoffman, and Hackman being roommates! (Reminds me of Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda also being roomies in NYC) I agree, there's something comforting about classic B&W. Modern B&W can sometimes be a bit heavy with the contrast to get the "shimmering" look that is kind of distracting (some directors that do B&W scenes today say they have to re-learn some of the tricks that were known in the old days). I think there's been a readjustment within the subscriber base, but the numbers are ticking up again. Ames seems to have found her niche, and she's doing quite well compared to channels that have been around longer. I believe in the long run that focusing on quality and balance over trendiness will lead to a strong brand AND a better experience for everyone.
JM63
2024-06-29 18:56:15 +0000 UTCFinally watched “To Kill A Mockingbird”!!! Just what I needed, Ames! Wept straight through. I even wept during the opening credits…..I even wept during your intro!!!!! First off…..so happy you got to meet Gregory Peck!!!! This time around I was blown away by his subtlety, how everything the script SAYS about Atticus is all there in Peck’s performance! He often played good guys……but on the occasion he had to play bad guys, he’s equally as great. I mean he played Captain Ahab in “Moby Dick”! Scary performance!!!! You'll definitely be seeing him again, he's in heaps of great movies. Your reaction to Robert Duvall in the credits was as special as when you finally see him. I (we) know EXACTLY how you felt, it was the same way with me. Even though he went on to have an incredible career, he cites this as one of the movies he’s most proud to have been in! Lastly: I was blown away to see that Alan Pakula produced this movie! He directed All The President’s Men! Instant connection to the top two Drama winners!!!! Not only that…..at this time, in 1962….Robert Duvall and Dustin Hoffman were roommates in NYC (along with Gene Hackman!)! So again, the two movies have a sort of connection! Your post-film remarks were fantastic. I know EXACTLY what you mean about finding black & white/old movies “comforting”. For me, it can be like an escape hatch! Also, it affirms what we’re trying to do as artists (which you most definitely are!). Make something that lasts! And connecting to other humans, even if they’re long gone! Oh, there’s a million reasons why! I feel bad if you lose subscribers because some of us are making you watch all these old movies. But at the same time I feel happy because I know movies like this never leave you. I won't soon forget this very special reaction....on a channel FILLED with them!!! Thanks, Ames!!!!!!
Tic Toc Melody
2024-06-29 12:47:51 +0000 UTCI've always loved this movie and the character of Atticus Finch. Elmer Bernstein was the composer and it was a young John Williams playing that magical piano.
Kevin Townsend
2024-06-27 11:12:50 +0000 UTCHmm, a YT search for To Kill a Mockingbird yields lots of results. Doesn't seem to be a problem
JM63
2024-06-26 21:30:43 +0000 UTCCan you post this on YouTube. The word kill is in the title. That’s usually a red flag. And I worry about Mockingbird as well. They may not like you talking about birds who spread disinformation. Just a thought.🥸
Jeremy Vickers
2024-06-26 18:24:28 +0000 UTCVery well stated
Catchermag
2024-06-25 15:17:34 +0000 UTCThanks so much for sharing this Clay!!!!
Amalia Wolf
2024-06-25 14:45:00 +0000 UTCThere is a magic to this movie, which is really quite strange when one considers the subject matter, so tragic on both an individual human and societal level. I suppose that magic comes from being largely told, with great deftness by Robert Mulligan (a criminally underrated master of tone), through a child’s eyes. He was also, crucially, wise enough to stay very faithful to Harper Lee’s source material. But the most credit has to go to Gregory Peck and Lee for realizing one of the great characters of both 20th century American film AND literature. It was, in only one project, one of the most important artistic collaborations of its or any other era, made all the more special to us fans by how close they remained after it was over. The enduring magic of this movie is the reason why much has rightly been made about that lifelong friendship the two made during the making of TKAM—Peck’s daughter even named her first son Harper, after her quasi-aunt/godmother. It has, however, been suggested that Lee, though only ten years younger than Peck, looked at him more as a revered father figure than a peer, which just speaks so much to the commanding decency inborn to the man, and leads me to conclude that if there ever actually was an actor “born” for a role, it was Greg Peck as Atticus Finch. And, to tie all of that in to this week’s slate of movies: if there was any doubt to Peck’s credentials as a good guy, due to his support for the civil rights movement and opposition to the Vietnam War, he even made Dick Nixon’s notorious “Enemy’s List”. A great pleat in the cape of any fair-minded person of that era.
VivendoBem
2024-06-25 09:45:45 +0000 UTCI really liked your heartfelt reaction and agreed with all of your observations and comments. We can't be silent about how crazy and absurd that racial stuff is. MLK: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." That quote always got to me. Still does. This is my first time to watch the entire movie from beginning to end in one setting. I like it. As you indicated, Atticus (Gregory Peck) has that awesome distinction and disposition. The actor who played the judge was the marshal in "The Rifleman" (1958-1963) TV series -- I watched many episodes (reruns) as a kid -- so the marshal is who I think of when I see the judge in this movie. The mockingbird is the state bird of Texas. In Texas, it is illegal to kill or eat a mockingbird, or to even to have one as a pet. I identified with the discussion of guns early in the movie. At age 9 with a .410 shotgun, I killed my first squirrel. Killed many squirrels. My mom or grandma would make squirrel dumplings and gravy. My grandfather would use a nutcracker to crack the skull to eat the brain. At age 11, I killed many snakes with a .22 rifle. My other grandfather gave me a 12 gauge shotgun when I was age 14. One night, I killed 20 rabbits -- got $2/each for them. That 12 gauge shotgun was old then and even older now almost 50 years later. I still have it, but no shells for it. It is the only gun I have. I gave up hunting at age 15.
Clay F
2024-06-25 09:18:37 +0000 UTCAww so we’ll written Shawn ❤️
Amalia Wolf
2024-06-25 05:03:51 +0000 UTC"She tempted a black man." Some of the phrases in this film are so jarring to hear today, because we've come so far, so fast. Those of us who did not benefit from living through the civil rights era find it hard to even process the words being spoken. I'm a decade older than Ames and my eyes open just as wide during those moments. This movie takes place much earlier than the time in which it was released, but the attitudes remained very much the same in much of the country. The theatrical release occurred during my parents' lifetime. In fact, if you were born the year this movie was released, you still would not be at full retirement age. That is how recent these issues needed to be addressed. I am so thankful that so many in the last couple of generations have no personal memory of, and cannot envision a world in which this could be a reality.
Shawn Goforth
2024-06-25 04:49:48 +0000 UTCWow!!!
Amalia Wolf
2024-06-25 01:52:29 +0000 UTCUr prob right!
Amalia Wolf
2024-06-25 01:52:22 +0000 UTCWow!
Amalia Wolf
2024-06-25 01:52:14 +0000 UTCI am on the updated list!? I didn’t see it.. did I pass it🙈
Amalia Wolf
2024-06-25 01:51:23 +0000 UTCGreat take!!!
Amalia Wolf
2024-06-25 01:50:49 +0000 UTCYes I have heard that she was friends with Capote! So I know more about her than I thought! Yes I think the story with the kids kinda makes the movie. The end 😱😱😱😱
Amalia Wolf
2024-06-25 01:50:19 +0000 UTCGreat reaction to a great film. You made a good point, which never occurred to me before, about how the tenderness and innocence of the children's scenes really highlight the tragedy and gravity of the main story. I really want to read the book again (it was one of the few from school that I actually liked). Apparently the character of Dill was based on Harper Lee's childhood friend Truman Capote. The film Capote (2005) stars Catherine Keener as an adult Lee along with Philip Seymour Hoffman as Capote. As James mentioned above, this film actually is on the AFI 100 (#25), so you've crossed another one off the list!
JM63
2024-06-24 23:57:45 +0000 UTCThe movie has a great message but it also kind of shows the two law system here. The innocent black man sent to prison and ultimately killed trying to run from a crime he didn’t commit and a mentally troubled white man who doesn’t even go to trial for actual murder in self defense. On the one hand, yes don’t judge a book by its cover but on the other it just lays out to bare how the law works a bit different if you’re lighter in skin tone. Especially back then. It’s an interesting commentary that often gets overlooked for the bigger message of don’t judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. Both are important and a big reason, to me, why this story has proven to be timeless.
Teyon Alexander
2024-06-24 23:26:39 +0000 UTCI couldn't believe my ears when you mentioned that "To Kill a Mockingbird" was not on the AFI list (did I hear that correctly?). When I checked there was one AFI list that had the movie at #34 and another AFI list that had the movie at #25. If I'm mistaken, I apologize. Nevertheless, this is one of the great and timeless movies and the character of Atticus Finch is one of the truly inspirational figures in both literature and film. Thank you for a splendid reaction! If I ever watch this movie and the tears do not flow, I know my heart will have stopped beating.
James
2024-06-24 22:58:48 +0000 UTCYou can't see him acting in this. A testament to his skill...
RFK Fan
2024-06-24 18:49:16 +0000 UTCGregory Peck won the best actor Academy Award for this film. He’s one of my favorite actors. And since my paternal role model left so much to be desired, Atticus Finch played a big part with that. I always try to be the father he was. Thanks Ames!
Catchermag
2024-06-24 18:42:14 +0000 UTCCongrats Ames! You just lost your Robert Mulligan virginity. A highly underrated director who would go on just a few years later to direct Stanley Kubricks favorite film and arguably one of the best coming-of age movies ever in SUMMER OF 42'... Sadly his body of work is small much like his contemporary Terrance Malick..
RFK Fan
2024-06-24 17:23:20 +0000 UTCI think "To Kill A Mockingbird" was Robert Duvall's first film.
Jeffrey Schmidbauer
2024-06-24 16:30:52 +0000 UTCMary Badham who played Scout kept in touch Gregory Peck for the rest of his life. They were great friends.
Jeffrey Schmidbauer
2024-06-24 16:29:12 +0000 UTC
