In reading through the reviews, I see one reviewer who savaged this documentary. I find this criticism excessive, and would like to temper it a bit.
It is true that this documentary is poorly titled, and a bit rambling. But that is hardly the point. "Fearful Symmetry" gives one the chance to see most of the people involved in the creation of the film "To Kill a Mockingbird" discuss the process of making this classic. The interviews with Gregory Peck (Atticus Finch), Robert Mulligan (the director), Horton Foote (the writer), Elmer Bernstein (the composer), Philip Alford (Jem), Mary Badham (Scout), Brock Peters (Tom Robinson) and Robert Duvall (Boo Radley) are all priceless. It is quite a marvel that so many of the main people involved were still alive 36 years later. Especially in the light of Peck's recent passing, I think we should be less critical of the rambling nature of the documentary. I learned many things about the writing of the book, its translation to a screenplay, and the various difficulties in transforming a screenplay to a movie that has become an American classic. What more should one wish from a documentary of this nature?
