To Kill a Mockingbird
Atticus Finch, a widowed lawyer in Depression-era Alabama, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his children against prejudice.
The crux of Harper Lee's story surrounds Peck defending Brock Peters on a charge of rape, but alongside the examination of racism the film also manages to encompass the themes of childhood, poverty, love and an unsentimental look at the Deep South of the past that make the book so rich a tale. Overriding it all is the heart-warming mystery of local bogey man Boo Radley.
Today, one wonders if a story like this could be told, or if the tide of political correctness and audience disinclination to appreciate anything with a downbeat resolution would force a change. (n.b. Contains racist language).