"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but... sing their heart out for us. That's why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird." The movie 'To kill a mockingbird' depicts the destruction of the innocent by the evils of the society. Mockingbird is a symbol of innocence, characterized by Tom Robinson and Arthur Radley (Boo) where racial prejudice and ignorance are the symbol of evils in the society.

Tom Robinson, an African-American is accused by Mayela, a white woman, of sexual molestation. Atticus, a prominent lawyer of the town Maycomb, has proved that Tom Robinson is innocent but still the "all-white jury" convicts Robinson of the guilt. Tom Robinson, a "quite humble respectable Negro", becomes the victim of racial prejudice. Arthur Radley (Boo) has been emotionally destroyed by his father, as his father did not let him step outside the house. Boo is one of the "mockingbirds" in the story, who is the victim of ignorance; evil of the society which is trying to kill the good. Boo had a deep affection for children, which is later displayed in the story, when Boo saves Jim and Scout from Bob Ewells.

"There are some men in the world who are born to do unpleasant jobs for us; your father is one of them", said Maudie to Jim after his father (Atticus) lost the case of Tom Robinson. Atticus helped his children to learn values of life and he showed them how to live life by the values; preaching by practicing. Atticus allowed his children to call him by his name instead of 'father'. He wanted his children to explore freedom, but also taught them to stay in limits. Jim is brave, intelligent, and caring. He learns courage, dignity, and value of life from his father. He is transforming into adulthood.

Scout is still a kid; she does not know anything about the existence of evil in the society. She is learning about evils from the real life example of the victims (Tom and Boo) of the evils in the society. By the end of the story Scout's perspective on life develops from that of an innocent child into that of a near grown up. "Mr. Tate was right", said Scout to Atticus, after Mr. Tate, the town Sheriff explained Atticus indirectly that whatever Boo did was correct and he is not supposed to be punished for that. "It would be like shooting the mockingbird, wouldn't it." Scout shows a high level of ability to comprehend at the age of five, and understands the whole situation and judges what is right and what is wrong.

The Music Director of the movie has done an excellent job. Music plays an important role in the movie, by setting the mood for what is been screened. The movie starts with a musical note, which seems like it is played by a kid, one note at a time. The movie also has gothic music to create the horrifying or thrilling environment, when Jim and Scout were walking home after the Halloween Party and they had an encounter with Bob Ewells. Most of the places the movie has melancholy music to produce the feeling of thoughtful sadness. The pleasant arrangements of musical notes in the movie create an atmosphere where we feel that we are a part of the movie, and we go back into our nostalgic memories and look back into our childhood. The movie itself seems like a mockingbird song.

My favorite scene in the movie is when Atticus is walking out of the courtroom after the trial is over and all the "colored" people sitting in the balcony stands up to pay respect to Atticus, a white man, who tried his level best to save a "Negro." The Reverend says to Scout who was sitting, "Stand up Jean Louise. Your father is passing." The scene says it all, there is not much dialogue but the expressions on the faces of the black people was marvelous, with a slow melancholy music at the background. As it this situation there is nothing left to say, because everyone knows in the courtroom that Tom Robinson is not guilty but still the jury has convicted him of the rape, just because of racial prejudice.

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Kuldip Kumar Garhwal(...)

The movie starts however with a seemingly unrelated event, the lives of Atticus Finch's two children. His daughter is a tomboy and his son is trying to keep her from getting into more trouble. The stumble upon some strange items and look at the house of a strange man called Boo Radley.

Then the movie goes into the court case. It is of course very obvious that the black man is innocent, but this is 1930's South with an all white jury...

Then the two parts of the movie come back together again...

The acting in this movie (in black and white) is superb. I recall that Gregory Pecks perfomance was voted the best of the century. Even the little girl is superb, she even got a nominatation for an oscar. Boo Radley is played by Robert Duvall, though he says next to nothing and is only in the movie for a few minutes. He of course 10 years later would play Tom Hayden in The Godfather. For Star Trek fans: Tom Robinson, the black man accused, is Sisko's Father of DS9

Tom Robinson, a black guy living in the same town called Mayconb was one of the central characters in the movie has been accused of raping a white woman. However, eventually he was convicted as guilty of charge and subjected to unfair justice system by the ignorant majority that have taken part in the jury. But there were other themes that also have significance to its crafts also. Its amazing reality of children's life that is so universal. It created a reality of vividing contention that helps the viewers to understand how the children see and think about the world. It also calls into attention of the activities that children by their vary nature involve in a family. For instance, Scout and Jem who are the central characters have enormous interests in scary yet joyful venture to Boo Radly's house even after being forbidden by their father. It was also important to observe how the children have collected gifts from the tree given by a isolated guy who they never been acquainted with.

The phenomenal curiosity of children is almost inescapable from the viewer's notice in the movie. They were inquisitive in every detail of what has been happening around them. That gives us the idea of their emotional reopens to the world and family relationships. As you will see, if you watch the movie, their father atticuls who has been a significant moral authority to them. He has great influence on how they develop the ideas of people and differences of good and evil that remain in their fantasy world.

The story of the movie has a unique way to tell you about a community and what is going on to its families. It takes us to the journey to reflect on our own childhood fantasy world and the adventures that still remains in our mind a thrill.

Scout and Jem know very little about their neighbor 'Boo' (Robert Duvall.) They have heard and made up strange stories. They spend time daring each other and their summer friend, to go up to the neighbor house as it holds some mysterious crazed person. Through the movie many odd things happen such as a tree that mysteriously offers a series of objects from marbles to a watch, among other things. What do we really know about our neighbors? Watch as the mystery unfolds. And what will they find out in this slice of life in the Depression-era South.

It is to the model set by my own father and to the portrayal of Atticus Finch in this film that I owe much of what has been good in the fulfillment of my duty to my community, to my patients, and to the children and grandchildren who were born into my responsibility.

If there is anything solid or valuable in the moral character of the male American "Baby Boomer," it is attributable in at least some small way to the influence of this movie and the expectations it impressed upon us, consciously or unconsciously, in the darkened movie theaters of 1962 and 1963.