4K 60th anni Mockingbird Blu-ray kills it

If To Kill a Mockingbird isn’t the best film ever made, there cannot be more than a handful of others that are in the discussion. The new 4K Ultra HD 60th Anniversary Limited Edition released this month (Universal, $39.99; $29.99 standard 4K edition) provides a great reason to revisit this classic with its most vivid black-and-white image ever, along with a new 25-min retrospective bonus feature. (You may also want to take advantage of a rare opportunity to see the movie on the big screen when Fathom Events teams up with Turner Classic movies for special theater presentations Nov. 13 & 16.)
This is the quintessential blend of writing (Horton Foote’s brilliant screenplay adaptation of Harper Lee’s remarkable first and only novel), a master class of directing by Robert Mulligan and acting by the entire cast of all ages and race, and the tremendously moving score by Elmer Bernstein.
There are many riveting moments in the film about a Southern widower father who teaches his two children proper behavior and strong values by example in a small Alabama town where he is a lawyer trying to defend a Black man wrongly accused of raping a White woman. But none carries more touching emotional impact through that blend of acting, directing and music than when young Scout spots a pale man hiding behind the door of her brother’s bedroom, and slowly realizes it must be the mysterious never-seen person they refer to as Boo, and that Boo has just saved her brother’s life – director Mulligan says in the bonus feature comments that it was this Hey Boo moment that was the reason he wanted to make this film. As soon as he captured the astounding performances of both nine year-old Mary Badham and the first film role of Robert Duvall, “I couldn’t wait to see the dailies.”…

No matter how many times one watches this masterpiece that premiered on Christmas Day 1962, its multiple messages about the importance of family, about racism, and about accepting others as they are, without judgment, feel just as powerful as when seen the first time decades ago, often even more-so as we mature and as current societal events make the themes even more relevant and meaningful. The new documentary All Points of View from Marian Mansi, Mark Nassief, Constantine Nasr, and Paul Angelikas drives that point home, starting with a clip of then-President Obama quoting Atticus Finch. Among those who provide context and perspective are Leonard Maltin, star Gregory Peck’s grandson – English teacher Christopher Peck, as well as multiple university academics and film historians, the latter of whom note the movie’s impact on and reflection of race, politics, and culture, interwoven with many still photos from the set during production. There’s even a brief theoretical discussion of how the movie may be made differently if it were produced today, when it would likely include more/deeper profiles of the Black characters in the story, though many listeners may dismiss any such talk of altering this flawless film as sacrilege.

Gratefully, this new edition also includes the many enjoyable bonus features from previous iterations on various home video formats over the years, especially including the feature-length 90-minute 1998 documentary Fearful Symmetry by Charles Kiselyak, shot largely in Lee’s hometown of Monroeville, Alabama in modern-day. Director producer Alan J. Pakula rightfully praises the very opening titles for the film, which so perfectly set the tone, beginning with a camera sweeping slowly across a child’s toys while only single piano keys are heard plunking one at a time (Bernstein explains how he came up with this concept), followed by the voice of a lone child humming and sighing to herself as she plays and draws, eventually leading to the swell of Bernstein’s triumphant score…

Yet another marvelous element that distinguishes To Kill a Mockingbird is the delightful and completely convincing narration by uncredited actress Kim Stanley as the adult Scout reflecting back on that transformative summer of her childhood, which is exactly what Lee was doing in her writing of the novel. Here are brief highlights of that narration with examples of comments by Foote and Mulligan…

Among the overall four hours of bonus features are these additional elements:

A Conversation with Gregory Peck: 97-min 1999 film by Cecilia Peck, Barbara Kopple, Linda Saffire, Bob Eisenhardt featuring Peck touring the country to provide talks at small theaters about the movie and himself including in Boston, New York, Greeley Colo. The film shows him in his dressing room, during set-up/prep backstage, during audience Q&As, and features lots of current and old home movie footage at Peck’s home, visiting Niagara Falls, plus film clips and Interviews, and Peck being presented the National Medal of the Arts from President Clinton at the White House.
Scout Remembers: a 1999 NBC interview of Mary Badham (included on the 2005 DVD), who greatly adored and admired Gregory Peck
fascinating audio commentary during the film by producer Pakula and director Mulligan
Peck’s Oscar acceptance speech (40-seconds), presented by Sophia Loren

The Limited Edition also includes a very nice 44-page booklet (also previously available), four collectable international theatrical poster cards, and a film strip replica.

— By Scott Hettrick