"To Kill a Mockingbird"

Deciding on my choice for the best movie of all time was not an easy task. Being an avid fan of classic movies, I could think of several films that deserved this honor. So to help myself make a decision, I applied the following criteria: the film had to make an important statement, that statement had to be just as relevant today as it was when the movie was made, the lead actor's performance must be both memorable and impeccable, and the movie had to be seen and loved by all ages.

My choice was "To Kill a Mockingbird." Made in 1962 and based on the Pulitzer prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, the film stars Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, Mary Badham as Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, Phillip Alford as Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch, and Brock Peters as Tom Robinson. The film is set in a small, fictional Alabama town called Maycomb during the Great Depression. Atticus Finch is a lawyer and a well-respected man of the small town. He is a widower with two children, a girl named Scout and a boy named Jem, and he is doing the best he can to raise the children with high moral values and without prejudice of any kind.

When Finch is appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, his children get an eye-opening look at the consequences of bigotry and hate. Although it is evident that the accused man is innocent, it is obvious from the beginning of the trial that the verdict will not reflect the truth. Finch's defense of Tom Robinson causes many of his friends to turn against him, at one point even expecting Finch to hand the defendant over to them for a lynching.

There is a wonderful, touching sub-plot involving Scout and Jem and a mentally-challenged man named Arthur "Boo" Radley. Boo, played by Robert Duvall (in his film debut), is a reclusive man who lives down the street from the Finch's. Scout and Jem have been hearing stories about the "crazy man" all their lives, and had tried unsuccessfully to catch a glimpse of him. Then Boo starts to leave small gifts for them in a cut-out in a tree, and eventually ends up saving Jem's life. The children learn the important lesson that although Boo may be different, he is good and worthy of their friendship.

Gregory Peck won a well-deserved Oscar for "To Kill a Mockingbird." The film was nominated for eight Oscars in total and won three. The character of Atticus Finch was voted #1 Hero of All Time by the American Film Institute. It is the most meaningful movie I've ever seen, but it is never preachy. The content and relevance of this film are timeless. Bigotry and hate are as much a problem today as they have ever been.