Our Mockingbird

Gr 7 Up—When two Birmingham high schools decide to collaborate on a musical version of To Kill a Mockingbird, the same hope evident throughout the book suffuses the production. One school has a predominantly black enrollment and is without theater facilities. The other is white and mostly well-off, with students who have led a sheltered life. The joint effort is a success on many levels, thanks to talented student actors and singers and to dedicated teachers, administrators, and other adults. (Small portions of the play are shown.) Students make new friends, rehearsals and adult-led discussions foster greater understanding across racial lines, and the interviewed students reveal mature thought. The film mixes commentary from Mary Badham (who played Scout in the 1962 film) along with clips, old photos, and interviews with other actors from that classic movie, as well as civil rights news footage and interviews with Congressman John Lewis and others speaking to their experience of being black in the South—Harper Lee is briefly shown attending a reception for the play. DVD extras include about 20 minutes of short segments of additional commentary on selected civil rights topics. The book's ending and key points are revealed, so classes may want to finish reading it before viewing the film.