# In the Heat of the Night (1967)

### reviewed by
Lars Lindahl

    By Lars Lindahl
    © 2000 Lars Lindahl
    visit my new web site: Lars Attacks!
    http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/larsattacks

    "In the Heat of the Night" (1967)

Starring Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant, Scott Wilson, Larry Gates, and James Paterson.

    Directed by Norman Jewison
    Written by Stirling Silliphant

    Grade: ***1/2 (out of four)

As African American detective Vergil Tibbs questions a suspected white murderer inside a jail cell, there is a wonderful, eye-catching shot which instantaneously presents the main message of the entire film. The shot has Tibbs' face completely covered by the shadows of the prison bars. To see these bars blocking his face, we see how separated Tibbs is from the rest of the characters in the film. As a black detective conducting an investigation in a Southern town full of violent white bigots, no matter how innocent Tibbs is, he is still seen by these bigots as a threat simply because of the color of his skin. The bars show that Tibbs has not been given a fair chance to show exactly who he is, instead others have chosen him as different and dangerous. This one shot amazes me because it captures a whole theme in a matter of seconds. It perhaps may be the most powerful image I have seen in a film.

"In the Heat of the Night" was the first and the best of the three films Norman Jewison directed concerning racism in America. Jewison has a very keen style of displaying various cases of racism as he is neither pedantic nor overly sentimental. In these three films he does an excellent job creating very detailed equal analyses of characters from the abused to the abusers. He is also not afraid to tell the absolute truth about how corrupt society was in the past and is in the present. Preceding the very original "A Soldier's Story" and the recently released "The Hurricane," "In the Heat of the Night contains some classic lines and some very memorable characters. The film, which won best picture in 1967 focuses on Vergil Tibbs, played superbly by Sidney Poitier as a fearless African American police officer from Philadelphia who refuses to give up on an investigation in a white town where is he not wanted. Tibbs is a man who rarely loses his temper and that is worth mentioning because he is constantly facing abuse from those around him. As a hero who is not afraid to face off against five men with chains, Tibbs is the perfect protagonist. Poitier also gives an excellent, noteworthy voice to his character. Never nervous and always commanding, his speech patterns are very manipulative as they range from stentorian to soothing.

However, unlike "The Hurricane" where Denzel Washington dominated over the rest of the cast, Poitier shares the spotlight with Rod Steiger, who won best actor for his excellent performance. As a sheriff who helps Tibbs and warns him of the dangers around him, Steiger shows a great amount of skill in his role. He starts off as racist and blind as the other townspeople. He would refer to Tibbs as "boy" and would always suspiciously keep an eye on him. As the film progresses though, there is a very gradual change in the sheriff. He begins to see the hardships Tibbs faces and he sees the foolishness of his own neighbors. What I really enjoyed about Steiger's character was that he did not completely abandon his friends or connect with Tibbs at the end of the film. He still could not refer to Tibbs as Mister Tibbs or Officer Tibbs but rather settled for Virgil. Instead, it was apparent that he was eventually going to see the world differently in the future. Most movies would have a character reversing all of his beliefs and influences in a matter of minutes. This action would not have been realistic at all since it is nearly impossible for someone to believe something one day and believe something else the next day. Jewison's determination to make this film as realistic as possible is very obvious here and also very appropriate.

"In the Heat of the Night" shows the difference between the North and the South or a major city and a small town in the United States during the 1960's. It displays this perfectly. However, the actual investigation, although it is not the main focus of the film, lacks interest. It seemed rushed especially towards the end as if Jewison had given his message about racism and did not feel like giving a credible explanation involving the murder victim. There were way too many characters added during the last fifteen minutes and some of the scenes during this time period were inane (police officer Sam being a suspect was not needed). Also, it is given that Tibbs is a vigilant homicide detective who is the best at what he does, but some of his discoveries came out of nowhere and how he found out some of the important case details towards the end were never answered.

The rushed ending was the only mistake of this otherwise memorable Jewison classic. (A congratulations has to be given to actor Scott Wilson. He managed to be in the two best movies of 1967, "In the Heat of the Night" and the even better "In Cold Blood.")

    Grade: ***1/2 (out of four)

visit my new web site: Lars Attacks! http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/larsattacks

    (c) 2000 Lars Lindahl

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