FLICKS: Selma and To Kill a Mockingbird

Posted on 15 January 2015 by LeslieM

flicks011515By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Despite a modest $11 million opening weekend box office, Selma is expected to become a box office juggernaut this weekend and by the time the Oscar statues are distributed Feb. 22.

Selma deals with Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965.

Five years previously, Alabama citizen Harper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird, her only published book. Told from the perspective of an elementary school aged little girl named Scout, this book presents the fine line between imagined and real terror.

The first part of the book deals with Scout, her big brother – Jem, their best friend Dil (inspired by Harper Lee’s childhood buddy — Truman Capote) and their curiosity about the mysterious “Boo” Radley, a reclusive neighbor who is never seen in daylight.

The second part of the book deals with Scout’s father – Atticus Finch, a lawyer who must defend Tom Robinson, a black man who is accused of raping a white woman.

Both stories intersect and provide a satisfying conclusion that best explains why it is a sin “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

A best-seller for 41 weeks, this book earned Harper Lee the Pulitzer award in 1961. Hollywood came a calling and a film was produced in 1962, garnering an Oscar for Gregory Peck’s portrayal of Atticus Finch. (It lost the Best Picture Award to Lawrence of Arabia.) Peck and Lee became lifelong friends. One must wonder how Harper Lee’s words influenced the actions of Martin Luther King and the civil rights march a few years after the book’s publication.

Starting this weekend, continuing through Feb. 28, the Broward County Libraries Division will be celebrating To Kill a Mockingbird as part of “The Big Read.” A program created by the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Libraries, “The Big Read” is designed to unite communities through great literature to discover the transformative joys of reading. All 40 Broward County libraries will be creating special programming for “The Big Read.” For a listing of programs, visit www.broward. org/Library/read.

On Monday, Jan. 26 at 12:30 p.m., Deerfield Beach Percy White Library will be hosting a special program. Copies of To Kill a Mockingbird will be distributed during the discussion, as well as other special surprises.

Enjoy a good read, enjoy an Oscar-nominated film this Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. Take the time to reflect how far we have come in a

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