In the Heat of the Night (1967)

 Norman Jewison's "In the Heat of the Night"


Due to the Civil Rights issues taking place all over the U.S. in the 1960s, there were plenty of films coming out that touched upon them. One of those films, 1967's "In the Heat of the Night" has gone on to be recognized as one of the standouts of this type of film. It stars the incomparable Sidney Poitier as a Philadelphia homicide detective who begrudgingly helps a small Mississippi police force solve a murder.

There are certain elements of the film that seemed like oversimplifications of complex issues. Other times, it felt like the film added some dimensionality to otherwise black-and-white abstracts. On the whole, the film does a fabulous job of raising concerns regarding racial tensions in the south. More specifically, it turns several notions on their head, including the competent black man helping more inexperienced Southern white men in their line of duty. 

First and foremost, the film should be recognized for its lead performance. While the Academy Award win would say it was Rod Steiger, the hindsight opinion is clear: Sidney Poitier. Perhaps his most iconic film role, Sidney Poitier plays his character with elocution, grace, and directness that is required to have the spark of life to combat racial aggression in the story. 



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