A good movie after a long while

It has almost been two years since I read the book “To kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee and today I finally watched the screen adaptation of this Pulitzer winning novel.The movie excels the book with delightful naration and perfect cast.

The story is set in Alabama during the times of depression where racial discrimination was the norm of the day. It tells us about a lawyer who dares to defend an innocent black man charged with rape of a white woman as seen through the eyes of his little girl Scout.

The sleepy town of Maycomb finds itself ensnared in a moral trial of Tom Robinson, a young black man falsely accused of raping an abused and ignorant white woman. Scout and Jem's widowed father,Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) is a deeply principled man and is appointed to defend Tom. It is a forgone conclusion that he would be charged for the crime and stands no chance of justice from an all-white jury. Though Atticus proves beyond doubt that Tom could never have done the crime yet he is sent to the gallows and even before Atticus can plead a second time, Tom gets shot in an escape attempt. The children come to respect their father for his values even while the villagers turn hostile.
Intertwined with this is the story of the children's encounters with their insane neighbor Boo Radley and how in the end he saves their lives from the blind hatred of the white woman’s father.
It is said that Harper Lee went through similar situations in her life and many characters in this story are drawn from her life.
Racism may be irrelevant in a world of today but sadly prejudice and injustice still are not.
Another novel on the same lines but more vehement and much more longer is "Roots" by Alex Haley...but the problem is this was made into episodes for television and I wonder if I can sit and watch all of it.