To Kill A Mockingbird (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD]

To those who judge a book by its cover, Gregory Peck in spectacles looks like too serious a film to dig up - but this film is not about serious old Gregory Peck. It is quite a simple story from the vantage of two motherless children who play around and are intrigued by an unknown fearful character in their neighbourhood reputed to be mad, and the events surrounding Gregory Peck, their father defending a black worker unjustly accused of raping a woman - during the 1930s when segregation was the norm in the south.

Gregory Peck comes across as a very dignified, handsome, moral character - who abounds in justice and strong paternal qualities. The true star of the show is Gregory Peck's daughter and her tomboy antics along with her brother and their friend. Peck's character is a admirable lawyer defending a case which in all probability he will lose. But the unfairness meted to the black defendant though forming a core aspect to this film is not centre stage. What is centre stage is the children and their vision of the proceedings and the danger they are placed in from those who hate Peck's advocacy of a black man's justice.

The music and overall atmosphere of the film describing quiet southern town life evokes a bygone age of innocence, friendliness and charm - along with the grosser aspects of intolerance at the time. The music if very special.

This film got several oscars including best actor for Gregory Peck.

This DVD comes with one version of the film with a producer/director commentary and a 90 minute documentary about the whole project with critical exploration of what the film and book convey.

Truly an American classic and the best aspects of humanity from a south US heartland.

This is another rendition of an American classic. I had seen this movie and read the book in the past, so was there really anything new this time? We watched it as a school project for my daughter. She watched it as a teenager, my wife watched it as a teacher and I watched it as a lawyer and, for tonight, at least, a part-time tutor. We each saw something in it that we had not appreciated before. For me, the courtroom scenes were interesting, but I identified more with Atticus, the father, than Atticus the lawyer. No matter how often you have watched this in the past, you will find something new to admire when you watch it again. Never stop!

*** THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE 2012 BLU RAY VERSION ***

In April 2012 Universal Studios is 100 years old - and to celebrate that movie-making centenary - they've had 13 of their most-celebrated films fully restored for BLU RAY. But it doesn't stop there. As many as 80 other titles will be given re-launches across the year as well - each featuring distinctive "100th Anniversary" card-wrap packaging and in many cases a host of new features. Most (not all) of these re-issues will be two-disc sets containing the Blu Ray, the DVD and also means to obtain a Digital Copy via download.

1962's "To Kill A Mockingbird" is one of the thirteen singled out for full restoration (see list below) - and an absolute peach it is too.

Released 10 January 2012 - it comes in a gorgeous limited edition 'book pack' (Barcode 5050582881844). The outer hardback holder has a card-pouch wrapped around it at the base and a 45-page booklet contained within. The book has interviews with Veronique Peck (his wife of 40 plus years), Harper Lee (author of the 1960 novel), pictures of the Shooting Script, Original Storyboards, Original Posters and Lobby Cards (from around the world), Press Book Excerpts and even Correspondence surrounding the movie (telegrams of congratulations from Fred Astaire, Betty Bacall and Charlton Heston). It's a visual feast with loads of photos peppering the wonderful memorabilia. Universal are to be praised for this because it absolutely looks the part. But the real fireworks comes in the other two elements at play here - the extensive extras - and the glorious new print...

Digitally remastered and Fully Restored from Original Film Elements - Universal are reputed to have stumped-up over $300,000 for the restoration - and the results are BEAUTIFUL. Even from the opening logo and credits of a child drawing - there are no lines or scratches of any kind - and the black and white cinematography of 1930's Alabama is fantastically clear. Stand-out clarity - the scene where the accused black man Tom Robertson is sweating in the courtroom as he relays his side of the story (a superlative Brock Peters - he read the Eulogy at Peck's funeral in 2003 at Peck's request), Atticus's son Jem is in his dad's car outside the family home of the black Robertson family as the hateful Bob Ewell looks on, the three children watching from the bushes as the mob try to take the jail with Atticus guarding the doorway, Atticus explaining what happened to Tom Robertson after the trial as the moonlight shines on his suit, the young girl Scout pointing out the simpleton Boo Radley behind the bedroom door (Robert Duvall's stunning cinematic debut where he doesn't utter a word but leaves an indelible mark) - it's all suddenly gorgeous. And the sound is rounded and clean too. An exemplary job.

The extras are equally superb - the centrepiece of which is a near one and half-hour documentary called "A Conversation With..." It's a feast for Peck fans - interviews with Barry Norman in 1974, Terry Wogan in 1979 and other notables throughout the years are peppered with home movies and footage of Peck giving a one-on-one show to a Virginia audience in 1999. It's a raconteur tour-de-force a la David Niven - an 83-year old Peck is generous, charming, witty, responsive - full of anecdotes about Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren and Harper Lee. We get stories about meeting his wife in Paris just before shooting for "Roman Holiday" began - there's footage of dinner with the President of France Jacques Chirac and his family - a visit to Niagara Falls with his daughter Cecilia (handshakes with an adoring public) - US President Bill Clinton giving Peck the National Medal Of Arts and dropping it! But most of all as the minutes pass by you 'get' why Gregory Peck was greeted with such staggering affection everywhere he went in the world - he literally exuded 'good guy' from his every pore - that old style Hollywood class - a talented giant who didn't have a mean bone in his body. It's joyful stuff to watch.

The movie itself has entered into folklore - released in 1962 and filmed in Black and White - it primarily centres on a black man accused of raping a white woman and the trial that follows. Such was the power of the story - and especially Peck's central performance as the principled lawyer Atticus Finch (his only Oscar win) it literally inspired members of the public to take up the law as a profession and even impacted on America's turbulent and changing racial landscape of the time. The performances by the children as innocents are particularly superb too - but it's Peck who dominates the whole thing with a gravitas and sincerity that few actors could match. His stand against bigotry is magnificent and filled with a quiet decency that has touched audiences for decades. As if sensing the importance of the part, Peck's scrawl is all over the shooting script - to the point that it often obliterates the text - the four words he scribbled on the last page describing the character he plays title this review - and describe the great man himself.

To sum up - with the 1930 anti-war masterpiece "All Quiet On The Western Front" also being amongst the first vanguard of these 'restored' releases - it's heartening to see Universal Studios finally throw some proper money at the preservation of its movie legacy - and be proud about doing so too. I for one will collect the whole series - and live in hope that other studios respect their past in the same glorious way.

An absolutely first-class release - and then some.

BLU RAY Specifications:
EXTRAS:
1. "Fearful Symmetry" - A feature-length documentary on the making of "To Kill A Mockingbird" with cast and crew interviews and a visit to Harper Lee's home town
2. "A Conversation with Gregory Peck" - an intimate feature-length documentary on one of the most beloved actors in film history with interviews, film clips home movies and more
3. "Academy Awards Best Actor Acceptance Speech"
4. "American Film Institute Life Achievement Award" - Gregory Peck's memorable remarks upon receiving the AFI Life Achievement Award.
5. "Excerpt From Tribute To Gregory Peck" - Cecilia Peck's heart-warming farewell to her father given at the Academy in celebration of his life
6. "Scout Remembers" - Actress Mary Badham shares her experiences working with Gregory Peck
7. "Theatrical Trailer" - Original Theatrical Trailer of the film
8. "Feature Commentary" - with Director Robert Mulligan and Producer Alan Pakula
9. "100 Years Of Universal: Restoring The Classics" - An in-depth look at the intricate process of preserving the studio's film legacy
10. Blu-Ray Exclusive - U-Control
11. Pocket Blu - download content to your Smartphone and Tablet

VIDEO: 1080p High-Definition Widescreen 1.85:1
AUDIO: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese DTS Mono 2.0
SUBTITLES: English SDH, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Cantonese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish, Traditional Mandarin

PS: The 13 'restored' Blu Ray titles in Universal's 100th Anniversary series are:

1. All Quiet On The Western Front (1930). 13 Feb 2012 in the UK. Restored, Remastered and comes with a beautiful 40-page book pack. SEE DETAILED REVIEW.
2. The Birds (1963). Release date to be advised...
NOTE: the UK 23 April 2012 'DVD' with Universal 100th Anniversary packaging does NOT contain a restored print - it will be in the BLU RAY/DVD book pack later in the year.
3. (Abbott And Costello in) Buck Privates (1941). 17 April 2012 in the USA (see Amazon.com for artwork). A 2-disc Book Pack with Blu Ray, DVD and Digital Copy. It's fully restored and digitally remastered.
4. Dracula (1931). Release date to be advised. Will contain both the English and Spanish versions.
NOTE: the UK 23 April 2012 'DVD' with Universal 100th Anniversary packaging does NOT contain a restored print - it will be in the BLU RAY/DVD book pack later in the year.
5. E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial (1982). Release date to be advised...
6. Frankenstein (1931). Release date to be advised...
7. The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935). Release date to be advised...
8. Jaws (1975). August 2012 USA/September 2012 UK. And about time too - Spielberg's masterful 1975 shark-movie finally gets to Blu Ray. Probably a BOOK PACK also....
9. Out Of Africa (1985). 6 March 2012 in the USA. Many will be pleased to see this picturesque romance finally get the Blu Ray makeover - early US reports say it's 'beautifully restored' and presented. No UK release date as yet...
10. Pillow Talk (1959). 7 May 2012 in the UK release. Two-disc set - Blu Ray, DVD and Digital Copy. Fully Restored and Digitally Remastered. In a beautiful book pack.
11. Schindler's List (1993). Release date to be advised...
12. The Sting (1973). 5 June 2012 in the UK. Restored and remastered and in 'Book Pack'.
NOTE: there's a 'card-wrap' version of this also - so check which issue you're buying...
13. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962). 10 January 2012 release in the UK. SEE DETAILED REVIEW.

PPS: For a list of the 60 or so titles in the "100th Anniversary" series to date (April 2012) see the 'comment' section attached to this review