In The Heat of the Night

Movie: In the Heat of the Night (1967)

AFI List #75 on the 2007 list, was not included on the 1998 list

My List #35

Starring: Sidney Poitier

My rating: ˜˜˜˜˜

This was a really good movie and mystery. The story is about a small southern town where a white, wealthy gentleman was killed. A northern African-American (Virgil Tibbs), who was just passing through, is arrested for the murder because he had a lot of money in his account. He was shortly let go when the police chief finds out that he is a respected homicide detective from Philadelphia and he was just on his way home from visiting his mother. Disgusted by the treatment he received from the police, all he wants to go is leave. But his Philadelphia police chief encourages (makes) him to stay and help with the murder.

At first there is a lot of tension between Tibbs and the rest of the town, but especially the police chief Bill Gillespie. But as they are forced to work together, they slowly learn to help and respect each other. There a few moments where Tibbs is attacked or almost attacked by groups of adults because of his race. It's disbelieving to me how African Americans were (and I know in some places, are) treated. And this movie portrayed it very well.

There is one scene that is pretty famous. In it, Tibbs, is interrogating a very rich white gentleman. When he discovered that Tibbs is suggesting that he is the murderer, he slaps Tibbs. But then, Tibbs slaps him back. The was not in the original screenplay, but Sidney Poitier requested it be included. This movie was released in the middle of the Civil Rights movement and Poitier was not comfortable with the original in which Tibbs doesn't react at all. After the scene, as Tibbs and Gillespie are walking down the hill, Gillespie makes the comment, "Oh, boy. Man, you're just like the rest of us, ain't ya?"

This was a good, interesting story with a lot of subtle themes. The most obvious, don't take people for granted just by what they look like.