"Boo Radley Revealed"

This is a paper I wrote in a Great Novels in Film Course I took in the Winter/Spring of 2015.  It si a sequence for the film To Kill a Mockingbird starring Gregory Peck. The sequence I chose to analyze was the reveal of Boo Radley towards the end of the film. portrayed by Robert Duvall. I have included a clip from Youtube of nearly the entire sequence.

Permeating the novel To Kill a Mockingbird and its film adaptation is the mysterious character of Boo Radley.  Even as readers and viewers of the film, we are enveloped in the mysterious identity of Boo. It is not until the end of both the book and film that he is revealed.  In the book the characters are in Jem’s bedroom, when Heck Tate has just revealed that he found Bob Ewell’s dead body at the site where Jem and Scout were attacked while walking home from the Halloween pageant. Atticus, Aunt Alexandria, Heck Tate and even Scout are surprised at this revelation. Heck Tate asks Scout to recall what happened until she remembers someone rescuing her from Mr. Ewell’s attack and points directly at Boo in the corner of the room.  This scene is significant because it is the first time we see the mysterious Boo.  All we have heard about is the imaginative children’s stories of a wild, malevolent monstrous creature. But, in actuality he is a gentle, misunderstood hero who saves two young children from a true evil monster in Bob Ewell.  The scene in the film, although slightly different, still portrays themes of innocence and loss of innocence, as well as representing the goodness that lies within humanity despite the evil in the world.

The sequence begins with a medium close up of Sheriff Heck Tate asking scout what happened? Then the camera cuts to a mid shot of Scout standing next to Jem’s bed as she begins to tell what happened.  While she is talking there is a cut to a medium close up of Atticus with a concerned look on his face, he can not believe someone would attack children. As Atticus looks off screen, there is a cut to a full frame shot of Jem lying in bed sleeping. His taking up the whole frame prominently portrays the innocence of a sleeping child.  Then there is a cut back to a mid shot of Scout, further discussing the events, then a cut back to a medium close up of Heck Tate who is listening intently. This shot is followed by a cut back to a mid shot of Scout, but just before the next cut, she moves from center frame to the right of the frame, then cut to a medium close up of Atticus, also listening intently. The next shot is a mid shot, but she has now moved to the end of the bed and has her armed wrapped around the tall post. She says, “I saw someone carrying Jem,” which prompts a reaction shot to a medium close up shot of Heck Tate who asks who it was? This leads to a reaction shot of Scout’s response which is to mention the figure off camera.  There is now a cut to a deep focus wide shot of all the characters within the frame. Atticus is standing on the far right of the screen, Heck Tate is in the middle, his figure slightly obscured by the bed post and his body is turning toward the figure. Scout is slightly in the foreground because she is behind the bed post and her back is turned to the audience.  In the far left of the screen, farther in the background and hidden behind an open door with darkness hiding his face and most of his body, is Boo.  This shot is specifically lit in such a way that it hits each character differently, going from lighter to darker as one’s eyes move from the right to left across the frame.  It is not coincidental that Boo is obscured by darkness because of the mysterious nature of his character throughout the film.  Heck Tate moves towards the door and as he grabs it to move it there is a cut to medium close up of Boo, who, now free from the comfortable darkness, makes a slight dash to the wall with a frightened look on his face.  Then there is a cut to a deep focus medium close up of Heck Tate in the foreground and Atticus in the background. Then there is a close up of Scout with an inquisitive look on her face while the camera zooms onto her face. Then there is a cut to  a medium close up shot of Boo that zooms into a tight close up on his face which has an innocent blank look on his face. Then a reverse shot back to close up of Scout’s who begins to understand who she is looking at and begins to smile at the revelation, then a cut back to a close up of Boo’s face which seems be more relaxed now, then a cut back to a close up of Scout’s who smiles and says, “Hey Boo”. Then a cut back to a close up shot of Boo, while the orchestral score swells upon his reveal, with almost an acknowledging smile on his face.  Atticus’s voice cuts into the shot introducing Arthur Radley, which then cuts to a medium close up of Heck Tate in the foreground and Atticus in the background.  Then there is a quick cut back to a close up of Scout’s face with a surprised look on it. Then a cut to a close up of Boo’s face which is used to further emphasize what she is seeing, then a cut back to the close up of her surprised face as she blinks in disbelief at who she is looking at.  Then there is a cut to a deep focus wide shot of Atticus on the far right of the the frame, Heck Tate in the middle of the frame standing in the doorway, with Scout in the middle of the frame still standing behind the bed post with her back turned toward us.  Heck Tate leaves the room along with Atticus after him. 

The moment of Boo’s reveal in the film is relatively close to what is described in the novel, with only certain details differing between the two. His appearance is different than the physically gaunt and pale man he is described as in the book.  Also, Scout’s emotional reaction is different.  In the book she tears up and walks away towards Jem’s bed. In the film, she smiles with excitement upon identifying him.  Despite these minor changes, the film still succeeds in portraying Boo in an impactful way, perhaps even more impactful than the book.  The visual and audio power of film can sometimes surpass what is in the text of the novel.  For example, the way the musical score swells and the camera cuts back and forth to a smiling Scout as she audibly identifies him for the first time creates a magical movie moment.  It is such an iconic first image of a silent, gentle, scared, individual who is a hero.  Atticus is considered the hero of the story because he stands up to racism in the deep south in defending Tom Robinson, but Boo stands up to his own enemies within himself. The scene shows how the years of isolation have taken a toll on him.  You can see his introverted demeanor affect his ability to interact with others as he stands in the corner of the room afraid.  There is also a child like innocence to him.  When he looks offscreen towards Scout, there is an innocence within his eyes that connects him to the children.  But yet, within those innocent eyes you can see how much he has been robbed of his life due to being hidden away.  Contrast his eyes with Scout’s eyes, where you can see a similar innocence, but what is also there is a spark of life and youthful promise of hopeful future.  Those traits are preserved because of the heroic actions of Boo.