In the Heat of the Night (1967)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers:

Stirling Silliphant (screenplay)
John Ball (novel)

Release Date:

14 October 1967 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Crime

Tagline:

They got a murder on their hands . . . they don't know what to do with it.

Plot:

An African American detective is asked to investigate a murder in a racist southern town.

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Racist | African American | Murder | Investigation

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Sidney Poitier	...	Virgil Tibbs
Rod Steiger	...	Gillespie
Warren Oates	...	Sam Wood
Lee Grant	...	Mrs. Colbert
Larry Gates	...	Endicott
James Patterson	...	Mr. Purdy
William Schallert	...	Mayor Schubert
Beah Richards	...	Mama Caleba
Peter Whitney	...	Courtney
Kermit Murdock	...	Henderson
Larry D. Mann	...	Watkins
Matt Clark	...	Packy
Arthur Malet	...	Ulam
Fred Stewart	...	Dr. Stuart
Quentin Dean	...	Delores
Scott Wilson	...	Harvey Oberst
Timothy Scott	...	Shagbag
William Watson	...	McNeil (as William C. Watson)
Eldon Quick	...	Charles Hawthorne
Stuart Nisbet	...	Shuie
Khalil Bezaleel	...	Jess
Peter Masterson	...	Fryer
Jester Hairston	...	Butler
Phil Adams	...	1st Tough
Nikita Knatz	...	2nd Tough
Sammy Reese	...	Clerk (as Sam Reese)
Anthony James	...	Ralph
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Buzz Barton	...	Conductor (uncredited)
Philip Garris	...	Engineer (uncredited)
Clegg Hoyt	...	Deputy (uncredited)
Warren Kenner	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Michael LeGlaire	...	City Councilman (uncredited)
Alan Oppenheimer	...	Ted Appleton (uncredited)
David Stinehart	...	Baggage Master (uncredited)
Jack Teter	...	Philip Colbert - Murder Victim (uncredited)

Directed by
Norman Jewison

Writing credits
Stirling Silliphant		(screenplay)
John Ball		(novel)

Produced by
Walter Mirisch	....	producer

Original Music by
Quincy Jones		(music by)

Cinematography by
Haskell Wexler

Film Editing by
Hal Ashby

Casting by
Lynn Stalmaster

Art Direction by
Paul Groesse

Set Decoration by
Robert Priestley

Costume Design by
Alan Levine		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Del Armstrong	....	make-up

Production Management
Jim Henderling	....	production manager (as James E. Henderling)
Howard Joslin	....	unit production manager (as J. Howard Joslin)
Allen K. Wood	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Newt Arnold	....	second assistant director (as Newton Arnold)
Terry Morse Jr.	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Stephen R. Ferry	....	property
Joseph Musso	....	production illustrator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Walter Goss	....	sound
Clem Portman	....	re-recordist
James Richard	....	sound editor
Kevin F. Cleary	....	sound (uncredited)
Charles Cooper	....	sound (uncredited)

Stunts
John Moio	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ralph Gerling	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Ross A. Maehl	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Morris Rosen	....	key grip (uncredited)
Don Stott	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Alan Levine	....	costumer: men

Editorial Department
Byron 'Buzz' Brandt	....	assistant film editor (as Byron Brandt)

Music Department
Alan Bergman	....	song lyrics (as Alan)
Marilyn Bergman	....	song lyrics
Richard Carruth	....	music editor

Other crew
Hal Ashby	....	assistant to producer
Murray Naidich	....	titles
Meta Rebner	....	script supervisor
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Mirisch Corporation, The (presents)

Distributors

• United Artists (1967) (USA) (theatrical)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (1983) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Telecommunications (????) (USA) (TV) (as MGM/UA Communications)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1972) (USA) (TV)
• Opção (Brazil) (VHS)

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Sound)

Certification:

Australia:M | South Africa:(Banned) | Iceland:16 | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Brazil:12 | South Africa:A (re-rating) | Argentina:13 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1968) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:12 | USA:Approved | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Belleville, Illinois, USA

Company:

Mirisch Corporation, The

Trivia:

Set in a hot Mississippi summer but filmed during Autumn in Illinois, many of the actors had to keep ice chips in their mouths (and spit them out before takes) to prevent their breath from appearing on camera during the night scenes.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the shot where Sam Wood first approaches the train depot, he casts a very long shadow reaching behind him all the way up the building wall as if lighting is directly in front of him. In the next shot when he is passing the door and sees Virgil, the shadow has greatly shrunk down as if the lighting is directly overhead.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ofcr. Sam Wood: Where you keeping the pie tonight?
Ralph Henshaw, diner counterman: I ate the last piece just before you came in.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Flushed Away (2006)

Soundtrack:

Bowlegged Polly

flawless movie, deserved Best Picture

There are many bad "issues" movies out there, but this is not one of them. In a bad movie, all of the racist characters would be one dimensional and one hundred percent evil; here, Steiger is allowed to play a prejudiced man who is actually sympathetic and capable of growth (hence the Oscar). In a great twist, Virgil Tibbs himself is shown to be capable of prejudice, as he pursues Endicott without sufficient evidence. It's refreshing to see a movie that portrays the entire spectrum of racism, from the crazy extremists (and there are plenty of those on hand here) to the more subtly prejudiced.

"Mississippi Burning," a weaker effort, is not only more tediously didactic, but also less progressive; that film doesn't feature a protagonist like Virgil Tibbs, and instead focuses on the actions of two white federal agents. In this case, the old movie really is the better movie; produced at the height of the civil rights struggle, "In the Heat of the Night" feels more immediate and passionate than preachy films on the subject that were made years later, after the tension had died down.

Some reviewers complain that the mystery segments of the film are confusing, but I follow them without much trouble. Tibbs does a great Sherlock Holmes routine throughout, as he pieces together the solution based on clues that are also available to viewers. Sure, the ending is surprising, but it doesn't come entirely out of left field; I actually admire the subtle ways that clues are sewn throughout the film. If you're not used to mysteries, the barrage of red herrings and dead-end clues might surprise you, but it's pretty standard stuff for the genre.

I knew about the classic line "They call me Mr. Tibbs!" long before I actually saw this movie. I used to wonder why the line was so famous; it doesn't sound that exciting, does it? But when I finally heard Poitier say it in context, I asked my brother to pause the tape so I could cheer without missing any of the subsequent dialog. That's how excited I get during this movie. The performances are so naturalistic, and the racial conflict so vividly drawn, that I get pulled into the action completely. Though 1967 was a strong year for films, I still think that the right one got Best Picture, and not just because it was topical; "In the Heat of the Night" is a well-directed, superb character study, populated by some of the most vivid characters I've ever encountered in a movie.