Luke
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CibbuanoIn The Heat of the Night
November 1st 2006 10:34
In The Heat of the Night (1967)
Just recently I reviewed another Sidney Poitier race relations-heavy film, 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner', a well-meaning film that time has not been very kind to. This effort, 'In The Heat of the Night', stands up a lot better in today's day and age, being as the film-makers decided to let the racial aspects of the script co-exist with an actual story. It would be fair to say that racism and prejudice is an important part of the story, but that's not all that this film is about. It also happens to be a whodunnit.
It's a classic deep-south racists vs. the law drama that sees Sidney Poitier team up with a dodgy redneck sheriff (Rod Steiger, in his Oscar-winning role). The plot itself isn't really much, but the crunch of this story is in the interplay between Poitier and Steiger. There's a seething prejudice bubbling under Steiger's portrayal, but such is the character's arrogance that he rarely feels the need to show it. It's a kind of subtlety that serves the film well and has ensured it hasn't dated as much as it might of, and Steiger's seemingly laid-back performance was well deserving of it's award.
'In The Heat of the Night' was very much ahead of it's times as far as it's contemporaries were concerned... just witness the comparison between this and the similarly liberal-minded 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' for proof. Better yet, compare this film to any other thriller from the mid-60s - it was a rare film in it's day, seeing a black actor in the lead role. What was perhaps even more forward-thinking was that his offsider is white. That the partnership is layered over with the aforementioned bigotry (and a growing sense of professional respect) is probably the biggest part of the film's charm. It certainly goes a long way to making this a must-see - for as I mentioned, the plot itself didn't seem all that special to me.
TRIVIA: 'In The Heat of the Night' was such a breath of fresh air in it's day and age that it eventually spawned a TV series as well as two sequels starring Poitier.
Whilst his co-star was nominated for (and won) the Academy Award for Best Actor, Poitier himself failed to get a nomination for his work here... which is strange, considering it is probably one of his best and most memorable performances. Whilst the Academy was fine with previously nominating Poitier for less threatening roles, they probably baulked at the idea of drawing attention to such an assertive and defiant character as Poitier's Virgil Tibbs.
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I went on a Sidney Poitier binge about 6 montsh ago and got In The Heat of the Night and the sequel They Call Me Mr Tibbs.
Also The Orginization, The Bedford Incident and The Defiant Ones.
I really want to get a copy of teh undersen classic The Slender Thread directed by Stanley Kramer.
Comment by Luke
Old Movies
Cane Toad Warrior
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Richard Widmark is a fave of mine (Madigan, Beford Incident, Big Country, Pick Up On South Street etc)