Considered by many to be America's greatest novel, To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960 at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. The corresponding movie was released a year later, winning several academy awards to include one for Gregory Peck's performance as Atticus Finch. I've read the book and seen the movie several times and have a lot to say about the story but this blog entry is about one small part of the movie, one scene in particular.
When Atticus Finch leaves the court room after losing Tom Robinson's case, everyone in the balcony section stands up in a show of respect as he walks out. Atticus Finch lives by a code of humanity, not by a code of law even though he's a lawyer. He doesn't accept the racist sentiment of his small town even when his legal support of a black man causes potential harm against his family. This story is about standing up, not with fists, but with heart, and doing what's right.
For an in-depth critical analysis, go here. And to all of my graphic designer friends out there, what do you think about the Hollywood poster? Does it work for you?
2 comments:
The poster is very much of that time period, but done on that lower end of the design spectrum. After doing some quick research, via the interwebs, I see that not a lot of thought was put into any of the posters for Mockingbird. It's such a shame since it is such a good movie. I can only imagine what someone like Saul Bass of Milton Glaser could have done. Even the book covers over the years have been fairly lame. I think this truly is a case of the content being so good it can get past being placed in bad wrapping paper. :)
yep, this poster is one of those "fill up every little bit of white space possible" posters.
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