This classic adaptation of Harper Lee’s novel won Gregory Peck an Oscar for his role as the Lincoln-like lawyer, Atticus Finch. As the wise, softly-spoken defender of American values, he takes on the case of a black man, Peters, who is falsely charged with the rape of a white girl. Set in Alabama during the 1930’s Depression, Finch is confronted with the task of raising his children in an atmosphere of hostility and racial intolerance. Their imaginations thrive on tales of bogeymen and spooks. In his film debut, Robert Duvall plays the part of their neighbour Boo Radley. Their speculations about him are the stimulus for their wildest nightmares but it is he who manages to save them from the horrors of reality.

This is a touching and engrossing film and features superb performances, particularly from the children. The elegaic score is by Elmer Bernstein.

US • 1962 • 129 mins • Drama • Director: Robert Mulligan