What benefits are there from having a film version of a classic book like in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Film versions only complement a book if they are good. Few films measure up to their literary source material. Fortunately the film version of To kill a Mockingbird (1962) does. Director Robert Mulligan is able to capture the nostalgia and tragedy in the story. He is able to catch Scout's subjective experience of innocence and coming of age. Casting Gregory Peck as Atticus certainly rounded out the movie as a great adaptation to this classic. A good movie cast just right can add to the reader's visual experience of the novel.