arslupae

The story, the setting, the wonderful characters, and the atmosphere entreats you and draws you into the world of Maycomb. There are no words for Mr. Peck's performance other than perfect and true. The world has become a much more complex and frightening place since this book was written and the movie filmed, but there is an eternal set of truths that survive and grow and nestle in our hearts. God Bless You, Gregory, you will be missed.

This movie is an incredible journey. The characters, especially Dearie B, are well-drawn, and so real. I have always admired Alfre Woodward, but this role brought a new dimension to my appreciation of her work. I was drawn in to the slow and romantic mood of this small town and this deeply tragic yet triumphant tale of growing up, leaving and not leaving home, and coming home again. It is lovely, lyrical and so resonant of the bittersweet taste of life.

The other review of this movie got the plot wrong. Thelma Ritter is the MOTHER-IN-LAW of Gene Tierney, not her MOTHER. Ms. Ritter's son in the film, played by John Lund is the pretentious one. When his mother arrives to attend his wedding to the gently brought up Ms. Tierney, who is actually a sweetheart and a lady in the best sense of the word, he hands Thelma some cash to get a makeover, noting that she should especially purchase GLOVES, to hide her hands that have worked hard at a hamburger stand to put him through a fancy college. This guy is a real stinker!! Thelma ends up not going to the ceremony, fearful she will embarrass her jerk of a son. She then gets some jobs to buy a fantastic outfit so she can drop in on the newlyweds. When Ms. Ritter gets there, Gene Tierney thinks she is the cook she wanted, and latches on to her because Ms. Tierney is having her first dinner party, and she is in a state of panic and disaster. The plot revolves around the fact that Thelma stays on to help out, and swears her son to secrecy about who she is. There are absolutely SOLID GOLD performances by Miriam Hopkins, as Gene's snooty mother, and Larry Keating, as John Lund's down-to-earth boss. The best part of this movie is when Gene discovers the masquerade and tells her insensitive husband off, defending his mother as a wonderful, honorable woman. DO NOT MISS THIS MOVIE !!