The Films That Make Us: To Kill a Mockingbird

Camri and Her Mother

Interviewer: Camri Anderson

Interviewee: Edith Charlene Anderson

Edith Charlene Anderson has many names. A few of them include Charlene, Char, Ms. Anderson, Mrs. Anderson, and my personal favorite, mom. My mom and I are very close which is why I wanted to do this interview with her. My mom is a strong woman. She was the oldest in her family. She helped to look after my Uncle Mike and Aunt Brandye for her entire life, especially since Aunt Brandye and my mom are fifteen years apart. Not only did she care for her siblings, she took on the caregiver role when my grandma got cancer a few years back. I think being the oldest in her family really helped her discover her true passion which was teaching. Before she had me, she had a bunch of other kids that she took care of. She has told me a multitude of stories that include her paying for students’ things because their families couldn’t afford them. My mom also raised me by herself for the first five years of my life before we welcomed my step-dad, Gene, into our lives. She is such a giver and never asks for anything in return. It is one of the qualities I admire about her. While my mom and I are close, I really did not know what film she would pick in her interview, and to my surprise, it was one that I never would have thought that she would pick. 

Growing up, what kind of films were you drawn to?

Growing up in the late 1960’s and 1970’s, I was drawn to movies that were on TV. My mom would watch movies that were on Saturday afternoons. I remember watching Elvis Presley and Doris Day movies. My mom and I also enjoyed the Tammy movies, starring Debbie Reynolds-Tammy and the Bachelor, Tammy and the Doctor-and the Trouble With Angels and Bye, Bye, Birdie. These movies were lighthearted, fun, and the musical scores were upbeat. 

What film has impacted you the most and why?

While most of the movies I watched growing up were lighthearted comedies, the one movie that impacted me the most was the opposite. To Kill a Mockingbird was a movie I watched with my mom (my dad worked long hours). It was a black and white filmed movie based in Alabama in the early 1930’s. The characters were portrayed so well that I felt I knew them. Atticus Finch, a widowed father and lawyer, was raising Jem and Scout by himself. My mom loved Scout. She said she saw her young self in Scout. The plot was intense with Atticus defending a black man accused of raping a young white woman. Then there was the mysterious neighbor Boo Radley who no one knew much about. Scout and Jem were afraid of him, so was I. The movie was powerful and nothing like I had seen before. It became my mom’s favorite movie and mine.

Why did this film impact you so much?

To Kill a Mockingbird impacted me so much because it was different from any movie I had seen before. The characters were realistic, the story line was powerful, and the ending pulled at my heartstrings. I think watching it and experiencing it with my mom made it special as well. Being filmed in black and white enhanced the theme and setting of the movie. I was not a fan of watching black and white movies as a young girl until To Kill A Mockingbird.

Do you think was it the person you were with? 

Watching this unforgettable movie with my mom definitely made the movie more memorable and impactful. I remember asking her questions about it during the commercials. We watched it every time it came on cable. As I became older, the movie themes became much more clear to me.

Atticus (Gregory Peck) and Tom (Brock Peters) in Court

Could it have been the atmosphere? 

The atmosphere where I watched the movie probably played a part in the impactfulness. Watching the movie with my mom in our small, cozy, living room would have added a sense of safety and comfort to the viewing experience.

Do you think the film is still relevant today?

To Kill A Mockingbird is absolutely relevant today. Unfortunately, our country is still dealing with racial injustice just as Atticus and Tom Robinson, the black man unjustly accused of raping a white woman, did. Many in the town did not believe Atticus should be defending a black man accused of such a horrific crime. Atticus believed all people had the right to legal representation and wanted to set an example to his children. There were repercussions towards Atticus and his children. When Atticus went to stay outside of Tom’s jail cell to protect him, a mob confronted him. Scout and Jem showed up and it was Scout who recognized one of the townspeople and made a simple comment to him that made the crowd go away. Despite all the strong evidence that Tom was indeed innocent, he was convicted of the crime anyway. Unfortunately, the courts today still made mistakes and justice is not always served.

Atticus With his Children Scout (Mary Badham) and Jim (Phillip Alford)

Another issue that makes the movie still relevant today is mental illness and childhood abuse. Both of these issues surround Boo Radley, the Finches mysterious neighbor. Although he is feared by most people, Boo saves Jem’s life near the end of the film. He is a quiet, watchful man who had been mistreated by his father. Boo’s character exemplifies that people should not be stereotyped and people’s perceptions are not always true. The same theme holds true for Tom Robinson.

Lastly, Atticus Finch being a single, working father trying to raise his family is a timeless theme still relevant today. Usually, the movies at that time focused on single mothers, but To Kill A Mockingbird broke that barrier to focus on a single dad, doing his best to raise to his two children into good people and citizens.

Did you learn any life lessons from the film?

I did learn life lessons from the film. You shouldn’t judge people by the color of their skin. You shouldn’t believe rumors as many are completely fictional. You should live your life with an open heart and be kind to others.

Since this book is read in a lot of schools, how do you think schools could better educate students on this film? 

To Kill a Mockingbird is still taught at our local high school, but it has been banned in some school districts throughout the country due to the racial content and rape accusations. For those schools that do still teach the book, one of the easiest ways to incorporate the movie is to do a compare/contrast essay/discussion/Venn Diagram on how the book and film are alike and different. Having taught American history for 28 years, this was one of the most effective ways to integrate films into the classroom.

Or does reading the book not help middle/high school aged kids understand the meaning behind the book?

I believe reading the book in a classroom setting does help with the understanding of the book and film.

Or is this book even relevant to the film?

I believe the book is relevant to the film. It brings the characters, setting, time in history, and themes to life on the screen.

Being a teacher, I would love to know your input on this. Is there anything you wish would have happened in the storyline?

Interesting question. I don’t feel the storyline should have changed. It needed to stay true to the book written by Harper Lee. The book is a classic as is the movie by the same name.

Harper Lee’s Follow-up to her Best Selling Novel

Could there be a sequel? 

There could basically be a sequel to just about any book or movie, but some are left better untouched. However, Harper Lee did publish a sequel titled “Go Set A Watchman” which takes place 20 years after To Kill A Mockingbird. Scout, now 26, returns to her hometown. I haven’t read the book yet, but I do own it. It is on my to-do list.

Has the Broadway adaptation of the film made an impact?

It would be wonderful to see the Broadway version of To Kill A Mockingbird on Broadway, but I have not. I am not sure if the play even opened up again after COVID. Its stage run may had finished before COVID turned the lights out on Broadway. I was excited when I heard the book had been written into a Broadway show as it would expose more people to this classic piece of literature. I do not personally know how the book, movie, and stage show compare to each other. I would suspect that those individuals who went to the play had a greater interest in reading the book/seeing the movie again or may have peaked the interest to those who had never read the book or seen the movie to do so since there was now a Broadway show. That seemed to be the case with Hamilton. Once the Broadway show was such a phenomenon, a lot of people wanted to read and learn more about Alexander Hamilton.