January 12, 2007

Harper Lee

A Montgomery, Alabama, high school's performance of a play based on Harper Lee's classic To Kill a Mockingbird drew out the novel's reclusive author, herself.

Alex Trulock, 16, in costume as 'Dill,' pauses backstage, Wednesday, Jan., 10, 2007, at the Davis Theater in Montgomery, Ala., prior to the evening's performance of 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. Trulock and his fellow high school student cast members will be meeting with the play's Pulitzer Prize winning author Harper Lee following the show. (AP Photo/Kevin Glackmeyer)
I love Harper Lee because of her reclusiveness (what a rare thing these days; she's a true artiste), obviously, because of the beautifully written novel (the only book she has ever published), and the Truman Capote connection, which is just so bizarre, yet cool (I'm aware they were childhood friends and neighbors; they just seem so different; she truly is Scout). I have much respect for the lady.

I already expressed my feelings about the the film version in a previous post, but I think it is one of the greatest movies ever made (with screenplay by Texan Horton Foote).

The Elmer Bernstein soundtrack is perfect (the title track, "Scout's Theme," can make me weep). And the opening credits sequence by Stephen Frankfurt is one of the best used in any film. Judge for yourself:



Showing some leg with producer Alan J. Pakula in a 1962 publicity photo for the film

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You know that Horton Foote's childhood home is in Wharton, TX - it's been refurbished and is a really neat house! And I just LOVE "A Trip To Bountiful"...

Chris said...

I didn't know that, Leslie. That would be worth a look! The Trip to Bountiful is a classic, no doubt.