Search - In the Heat of the Night

The winner of the 1967 Oscar for Best Picture (as well as four other Oscars), In the Heat of the Night is set in a small Mississippi town where an unusual murder has been committed. Rod Steiger plays sheriff Bill Gillespie, a good lawman despite his racial prejudices. When Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), a well-dressed northern African-American, comes to town, Gillespie instinctively puts him under arrest as a murder suspect. Tibbs reveals himself to be a Philadelphia police detective; after he and Gillespie come to a grudging understanding of one another, Tibbs offers to help in Gillespie's investigation. As the case progresses, both Gillespie and Tibbs betray a tendency to jump to culture-dictated conclusions. Still, the case is solved thanks to the informal teamwork of the two law officers. Based on the novel by John Ball, In the Heat of the Night inspired two sequels, both starring Poiter as Virgil Tibbs. In 1987, a TV series version of In the Heat of the Night appeared, with Carroll O'Connor as Gillespie and Howard Rollins as Tibbs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sidney Poitier - Virgil Tibbs
Rod Steiger - Police Chief Bill Gillespie
Warren Oates - Deputy Sam Wood
Lee Grant - Mrs. Leslie Colbert
James Patterson - Purdy
Scott Wilson - Harvey Oberst

1967	Best Film - Any Source (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Norman Jewison
1967	Best Foreign Actor (winner)	British Academy of Film and Television	Rod Steiger
1967	United Nations Award (winner)	British Academy of Film and Television	Norman Jewison
1967	Best Director (nominee)	Directors Guild of America	Norman Jewison
1967	Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama (winner)	Golden Globe	Rod Steiger
1967	Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama (nominee)	Golden Globe	Sidney Poitier
1967	Best Supporting Actress (nominee)	Golden Globe	Quentin Dean
1967	Best Supporting Actress (nominee)	Golden Globe	Lee Grant
1967	Best Director (nominee)	Golden Globe	Norman Jewison
1967	Best Screenplay (winner)	Golden Globe	Stirling Silliphant
1967	Best Actor (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Rod Steiger
1967	Best Adapted Screenplay (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Stirling Silliphant
1967	Best Director (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Norman Jewison
1967	Best Editing (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Hal Ashby
1967	Best Picture (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Walter Mirisch
1967	Best Sound Effects (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	James A. Richard
1967	Best Actor (winner)	New York Film Critics Circle	Rod Steiger

Director Norman Jewison's Academy Award-winning In the Heat of the Night might not be a special edition DVD, but it still has plenty going for it. Picture quality is possibly the best this film has been since its original theatrical presentation in the late '60s. The 1.85:1 image, which employs an anamorphic transfer, does show a few signs of age, including grain and minor scratches, but overall, impressions are very high with strong blacks and colors that are subdued, but still well-realized. The sound, in English, French, and Spanish (as well as subtitles or closed captions for the same languages), uses the original mono track split over two channels. This isn't the kind of film that would require a fancy auditory configuration, and what is present is entirely adequate. As for extras, other than the theatrical trailer, there is a wonderful and quite complete commentary track from Jewison, director of photography Haskell Wexler, and actors Rod Steiger and Lee Grant. Each is recorded separately, but the editing is nearly seamless, one flowing in line with the other, and almost always related to the scene. While a documentary of the turbulent times would have been greatly welcome to accompany this film, the package presented is a worthy effort for a highly effective and important film. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide

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