To Kill a Mockingbird
Dir: Robert Mulligan
1962
*****
To Kill a Mocking Bird is an American classic and one of the greatest books of modern literature. The fact they managed to adapt it into one of the greatest films ever made is pretty impressive. It's not exactly the same as the book but it doesn't suffer for any of the changes. The actors bring the characters to life brilliantly, Duvall is great in his small but powerful role, the two children are great (it's a shame they didn't go on to act more) and of course, Gregory Peck's Atticus Finch is one of the greatest screen characters of all time. Robert Mulligan's beautifully lit Black and White film is a joy to watch too, it's almost dream-like which works perfectly considering it is technically all from the memory of the narrator. Pretty much the perfect film.