Atticus Finch trial "State of Alabama vs. Charles White, Alias," and Atticus Finch's defense of Tom Robinson in "To Kill a Mockingbird". In a letter to the author, Harper Lee herself noted the "obvious parallels" between the cases (Lee was 12 at the time of the Charles White trial) and between Atticus Finch and Foster Beck, though she also stated that she could not recall the trial, and that "To Kill a Mockingbird" was a work of fiction. Former President Barack Obama referenced Atticus Finch as an ideal American character. In addition Atticus was mentioned during one of Obama's speeches. In July
Gladiator (2000 film) Heaven" and "Robin Hood" (the last two were also directed by Scott). The gladiator arena set piece from the 2002 film "", which entered production shortly after the release of "Gladiator", has been compared to the arena setting in the Scott film. The character of Maximus was placed 12th in the "Total Film" list of 50 best movie heroes and villains and 35th in the "Empire"'s 100 Greatest Movie Characters. Maximus is also featured on 55c "Australian Legends" postage stamp series. Russell Crowe attended a ceremony to mark the creation of the stamps. The film was first released on DVD