In the Heat of the Night
IN
THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (15)
D: Norman Jewison
United Artists (Walter Mirisch)
US 1967
109 mins
Crime/Drama
W: Stirling Silliphant [based on the novel by
John Ball]
DP: Haskell Wexler
Ed: Hal Ashby
Mus: Quincy Jones
Sidney Poitier (Virgil Tibbs), Rod
Steiger (Bill Gillespie), Warren Oates (Sam Wood), Quentin Dean (Delores Purdy), James Patterson (Purdy), William Schallert (Webb Schubert), Jack Teter (Philip Colbert), Lee Grant (Mrs.
Leslie Colbert)
A
true classic of cinema, winning the Best Picture Oscar in a very competitive year (beating The Graduate, amongst others).
Sidney Poitier plays homicide detective Virgil Tibbs, who
finds himself investigating a murder in a small Mississippi town populated with racists, including bigoted Chief of Police Bill Gillespie (an excellent Oscar winning performance from Rod
Steiger).
An important film for its era with a message which is just as
relevant in modern times.
10/10
