"Maycomb was a tired, old town, even in 1932 when I first knew it. Somehow it was hotter then. Men's stiff collars wilted by 9:00 in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their 3:00 naps,and by nightfall were like soft tea cakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum. The day was 24 hours long, but it seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go and nothing to buy; no money to buy it with. Although Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself. That summer I was six years old." The beloved film To Kill a Mockingbird is a lot of things. It examines racial tensions in the South during the Great Depression, as well as exploring the nature of childhood and all of its complexities that we seem to forget about once we become adults. But its also a snapshot, a moment in time of a sleepy small town captured for eternity, and that's what the film's first line really speaks to. In just a couple of sentences, we know everything we need to know about Maycomb. With the description that is surprisingly poet in its simplicity, the film doesn't need to waste any time establishing our setting -- we're already there in our minds.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
