Racial discrimination is a major theme within the film "To Kill a Mockingbird" when Tom Robinson, a man of African heritage, is falsely accused of raping a young white girl. His attorney, a white man named Atticus Finch, gives solid evidence in Tom's favour, but the jury still finds Tom guilty and he is sent to prison. I believe that this famous film adapted from an even more famous book effectively communicates its message with an entertaining, suspenseful approach.The message of this film is that people should be true to themselves and treat all human beings equally. Atticus and his children behaved this way even when there were intense pressures to follow the townspeople's prejudice. Hu ...view middle of the document...
Atticus did the right thing and everyone knew it. This is the point in the film when I think that the message most strongly comes through. While all the white townsfolk were against Tom, Atticus and his family stood up for him and this is why he ends up appearing as emotionally triumphant, even though Tom is found guilty by the jury of townspeople.This film displays its message incredibly well through the use of good camera angles, excellent actors, and solid directing. The message is very clear and appears several times throughout the movie. It appears first when Atticus' son is approached by the young girl's father. The man is obviously drunk and yells the words "Nigga Lovva!" at Atticus. Atticus is disturbed but not swayed from his beliefs. There is another moment when several white men want to kill Tom Robinson, but Atticus and his children persuade them to leave. Tom would likely have been killed if Atticus and his family had not been true to themselves and reacted with kindness towards Tom.The film "To Kill a Mockingbird" is riddled with racial discrimination. Though discrimination is often less overt today than what is depicted in the film, many forms of racism still exist and for this reason it is important for everyone to see this movie. It became famous not only for its excellent acting and directing, but also because its message hit home with so many people. Racism does still exist today, and movies which create awareness of this social problem are important. To Kill a Mockingbird does this perfectly and is just as timely today as it was forty years ago when it was initially released.
