"Well, I said I best be goin'"

From eonline.com:

Brock Peters, best known for his role as the falsely accused rapist defended by Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird, had died of pancreatic cancer at age 78.

Tom Robinson has passed away.

"Well, I said I best be goin', I couldn't do nothin' for her, an' she said, oh, yes I could. An' I asked her what, and she said to jus' step on the chair yonder an' git that box down from on top of the chifforobe."

I can't recall if I have discussed my profound love for To Kill A Mockingbird on the site yet. Both the book and the film rank as all time faves in the wojr household. The sequence where Reverend Sykes tells Scout "Stand up, your father's passing" probably is my favorite moment captured on celluloid. Hell, my two cats are even named Boo and Radley. So, I had to quickly point out Brock Peters' passing.

While the film is lucky enough to mine Harper Lee's classic novel as its source material, the film's success, in my opinion, is definitely due to the strong performances of its excellent cast. From Gregory Peck's Atticus Finch to Mary Badham's Scout to Bobby Duvall's Boo Radley, all the performances just sell the story and prevent the film from becoming maudlin, especially Peters' soulful portrayal of doomed Robinson. Each cast member truly embodies their character. To such an extent that I can't read the novel without picturing the faces and hearing of the voices of the actors and actresses in my mind. (Yes, not the first or last time I'll hear voices in my head.)

So, if you haven't seen To Kill A Mockingbird, please take the time to seek it out (if only to find out what a chifforobe is).

wojr  ¶ 4:19 PM