To Kill A Mockingbird

Bernstein's music coupled with the touching and deep story of To Kill A Mockingbird, deeply affected me.  The theme, according to Bernstein, was composed as though a child were humming it, or playing it on a piano.  The music, which opens the movie, puts the audience into a wondrous state of mind, that of a child.  The story is told through the perspective of Scout (Mary Badham), child of Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) a lawyer in the town of Macon, Alabama.  Finch is entrusted with defending Tom Robinson (Brock Peters), a black man charged with raping a white woman.  During the story we also meet Jem (Philip Alford), Scout's brother, and Dill ( John Megna).  The movie has a very stirring courtroom scene, which must have played a large role in Gregory Peck's later winning of an Oscar for the movie.  The ending of the movie is very well done, with a great message that all that watch the movie should heed.