A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

One of the most classic of all motion pictures, To Kill a Mockingbird is as revered and admired today as it ever was, and not without good reason.  Based on Harper Lee's Pullitzer-winning novel of prejudice seen through the eyes of children, it features a magnificent, Oscar-winning performance from the great Gregory Peck, some of the best child actors the screen has seen, and some scenes as memorable and moving as have been committed to film.  It is also - of course - blessed with one of the all time greatest film scores, a timeless classic that will endure, I'm sure, for all time.  Peck plays lawyer Atticus Finch, who takes on the case of a black man (Tom Robinson, played by Brock Peters) falsely accused of raping a white woman, while his young children are eventually targeted by the vicious white man (Bob Ewell, played by James Anderson) pivotal in the defendant's prosecution.

Bernstein's score opens with one of the great movie themes, a deceptively simple piece for piano, accordion and strings.  Intensely moving, it captures in three minutes what the film is all about: how in their innocent eyes, before prejudice has developed, the ability to simply differentiate between right and wrong is a beautiful thing.  It is impossible to tire of hearing such a beautiful piece of music and, whenever Bernstein takes the chance to incorporate it into his underscore, it's a wonderful thing.  Without exception, every track is a highlight, but particular note must be drawn to the playful "Atticus Accepts the Case / Roll in the Tyre", whose youthful exuberance is a delight and whose buoyancy cannot fail to propel the listener into a state of joy.  Needless to say, the score contains some considerably darker passages too, but here too, there is always beauty to be found, even if it is slightly below the surface: the propulsive piano of "Tree Treasure" is quickly followed by an oboe solo playing a piece of great, childlike discovery, followed variations on the opening theme for piano and then solo cello.  This is followed immediately by "Lynch Mob", a pivotal scene in which it is actually Finch's daughter Scout who defuses a potentially dangerous situation in which the lawyer stands firm against a whole crowd of angry men wanting to enter the jail and beat Robinson.  A gentle opening is followed by some powerful action music with the piano again taking centre-stage, before the calming of the situation is reflected by the music.

While Bernstein's music itself is beyond compare, attention too must be drawn to the exceptional placement of music in the film by Bernstein and director Robert Mulligan.  Of particular note is the very lengthy courtroom scene.  These days, it goes without saying that music would constantly try to overload the viewers with enforced emotion (just watch Amistad - if even John Williams does it, there's not much hope for the rest of them) but in To Kill a Mockingbird it is left completely unscored throughout the trial, with the powerful dialogue and performance of Peck being allowed to create all the emotion that is needed.  It is a great pity that filmmakers no longer feel confident enough to allow such scenes to play unscored - the impact of the low-key "Guilty Verdict", which is not inconsiderably in the film, would be completely lost had music been playing beforehand.

The score then turns considerably darker, just as the film takes on a nastier turn thereafter.  "Ewell Regret It" features some menacing low-register winds, creating just the right atmosphere.  "Footsteps in the Dark" is the calm before the storm, a lovely variation on the main theme for a particularly humorous scene in which Scout and her brother Jem walk home through the woods with her still dressed as a ham following a school pageant, but they can hear someone's footsteps following them, and are attacked in "Assault in the Shadows", in which Bernstein creates a brilliantly frightening tone with his brass and the omnipresent piano, highlighted by an outstanding recording here by Jonathan Allen.  A hero emerges in the unlikely shape of Boo Radley, a mysterious man who had been feared by the children beforehand, but who now saves their lives (the allegory used in the story to highlight the dangers of prejudice).  The beautiful "Boo Who?" underscores the surprised reaction to who their rescuer had been.  Finally, things are brought to a close in the glorious "End Title" which, as pointed out by Kevin Mulhall's liner notes, lures the listener back to their own innocence and youth with its simple, straightforward, honest beauty.

This is one of the greatest film scores and has been recorded three times.  The first was the original soundtrack recording, released at the time of the film but missing a lot of good music; then Bernstein re-recorded it in the 1970s for his Film Music Collection series; and finally, he recorded the complete score in 1996 with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for the Varese Sarabande Film Classics series.  It's a beautiful recording, with the packaging blessed with fine pencil sketches by Matthew Joseph Peak; but above all, it's a truly wonderful film score which should be in every collection.  There are few finer films than To Kill a Mockingbird; and there are few finer scores.

Tracks

1. Main Title (3:19)
2. Remember Mama (1:07)
3. Atticus Accepts the Case / Roll in the Tyre (2:05)
4. Creepy Caper / Peek-a-Boo (4:09)
5. Ewell's Hatred (3:30)
6. Jem's Discovery (3:46)
7. Tree Treasure (4:22)
8. Lynch Mob (3:03)
9. Guilty Verdict (3:09)
10. Ewell Regret It (2:10)
11. Footsteps in the Dark (2:07)
12. Assault in the Shadows (2:25)
13. Boo Who? (2:59)
14. End Title (3:25)