“TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD” REVIVED
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger Photographer: George Whylie Videographer: Maxine NolanMany of us are old film buffs of the films of yesteryear. It brings hours of enjoyment and a smile to our faces to be able to sit down and watch a cinematic masterpiece from 40 to 50 years ago.
This coming Wednesday, April 11th at 7:30 p.m., the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will showcase a new digital restoration of “To Kill a Mockingbird”. This marks the 50th anniversary of the film’s original debut. The event will take place at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California.
It will be a delightful evening featuring an introduction by talk show host Tavis Smiley and an on-stage discussion with Oscar-nominated actress Mary Badham. The restoration is courtesy of Universal Pictures, celebrating its centennial this year.
There could be no better classic than “To Kill a Mockingbird” which was based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee. Gregory Peck was the leading star who became an iconic actor as this film pivoted his career to success. He played a Depression-era lawyer struggling against a prejudiced system to exonerate an African-American man falsely accused of rape. His role earned him his fifth Best Actor nomination and only Oscar. Robert Duvall premiered in this film and Mary Badham made her first screen appearance at the age of 10 in this movie learning about injustice, human frailties and what heroism truly means. She became the youngest actress to receive an Oscar nomination for her performance.
“To Kill A Mockingbird”itself earned eight Academy Award nominations and three winning awards. It also received Oscars for Black-and-White Art Direction (Alexander Golitzen, Henry Bumstead; Set Decoration: Oliver Emert) and Adapted Screenplay (Horton Foote) and nominations for Black-and-White Cinematography (Russell Harlan), Directing (Mulligan), Original Score (Elmer Bernstein) and Best Picture (Pakula, producer).
In addition to Wednesday evening, there will be a screening the next day for 400 Los Angeles Unified School District high school students as part of the ongoing Media Literacy program. All generations love this movie and this is a great way to connect to a topic that has been ongoing over the years.
Tickets for this memorable event are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID, and may also be purchased online at www.oscars.org, in person at the Academy box office or by mail. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with unreserved seating. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.
PHOTO COURTESY of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
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