To Kill A Mockingbird

You've heard, no doubt, that To Kill A Mockingbird is one of the all-time great classics. It had been a while since I had seen it again, so I decided to put it in my Netflix que. When I was watching it last night, I couldn't help recall how my father, who was living in Santa Barbara at the time, was excited to tell me that when he went to the screening of the new movie in Santa Barbara, much to his delight, Gregory Peck and his wife Veronique, were sitting right behind him. He didn't realize this at first, of course, until he overheard the blow by blow anecdotes of each scene.

How I wish my dad were still alive, for more reasons than one...I so wanted to call him up and say, "Tell me again, Dad, everything you remember about that time." Well, we are fortunate that the powers that be have included "the making of the movie" clips on DVD. This commentary track was so interesting! To hear Elmer Bernstein talk about how he chose the music he composed for each segment of the movie. I was astonished that even though I had seen Robert Duvall's name in the credits, I did not recognize him until I saw him in these clips.
I don't know the date that this was filmed, but it seems to have been not too long ago as they all had aged.
You realize that Robert Duvall has been a great actor for years, judging by the sutlety in this performance in such a key role in the film. Also, it was interesting to see and hear the wonderful child actors tell about their experiences some 40 years later! They were terrific in the film. And I feel a little more content now that I have heard Gregory Peck talk about his experience.

Speaking of Robert Duvall...one of the things I've loved about my acting workshop is the fact that I have gotten to act out scenes, such as the Robert Duvall role of Max in Tender Mercies. We turned it into a mother/son scene. Ky Evans was a fabulous scene partner...so giving. In ten years, I can say it was one of my favorite roles to date. To work with Robet Duvall would be a dream come true.

Need a laugh?

If you missed the comedy, Guess Who, when it was released in 2005, and you could use a little laughter, I think you'll enjoy this movie. This modern take on the classic, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, has a great cast: Bernie Mac and Judith Scott as Zoe Saldana's parents, who meet Ashton Kutcher, who plays her fiance. I thought the direction by Kevin Rodney Sullivan was spot on.

I'm not really a fan of remakes, especially when they're a classic, but the script was quite different. It's interesting, however, that I had rented the former movie recently, with the stellar cast of Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, to prepare for a scene in my acting workshop. While I wouldn't dare compare the acting, I thought this recent movie was far more entertaining.

While we're on the subject of Sidney Pointier, my actress friend, Barbara, who knew I loved autobios, loaned me Sidney's The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography. I loved it!