IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT

US, 1967, 109 minutes, Colour.
Rod Steiger, Sydney Poitier, Warren Gates, Scott Wilson, Lee Grant.
Directed by Norman Jewison.

In the Heat of the Night came during Sidney Poitier's high peak of popularity (the same year as To Sir With Love and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner), and was written up as a great cinema contribution to race relations. This was enhanced when the film won the Oscar for the Best Film of the Year and Rod Steiger was Best Actor.

Originally, the film was intended as an efficient murder thriller with a race theme. But it became more than that - as can be seen from the succeeding Virgil Tibbs' films which are no more than efficient thrillers, They Call Me Mister Tibbs and The Organisation.

Steiger gives an expert gum-chewing, fat, ignorant representation of a police chief, which contrasts so well with his diverse performances in The Pawnbroker, Doctor Zhivago, The Loved One, The Sergeant, all made around those years and summed up in his virtuoso piece No Way to Treat a Lady. Direction is by Norman Jewison (The Thomas Crown Affair; Fiddler on the Roof; Jesus Christ Superstar). Photography by Haskell Wexler who made Medium Cool. A notable film.

1. Why did this film win the Oscar for the Best Film of 1967?

2. How did the photography, music, characterisation communicate an atmosphere of the deep south and heat?

3. What was the significance of the initial police round? How was it used for the development of the film, and what did it tell you about the town?

4. What were your reactions when the police arrested Virgil Tibbs? What did this show about the town, about racial attitudes?

5. What kind of man was Tibbs? Did Sydney Poitier portray him well?

6. What kind of man was the sheriff? How well did Rod Steiger portray him? How did he compare with Tibbs?

7. How much of the film was the conflict and relationship between the two men?

8. What kind of justice operated in the town - accusations, haphazard suspicions, arrest of Tibbs, of Harvey Oberst, attitudes of the police?

9. What influence did the rich have in the town? The murdered man's widow?

10. Comment on the significance of Tibbs questioning and suspicions of the rich owner, and the mutual face-slapping. "In the old days I could have had you shot for that".

11. How well did Tibbs do his detective work? How was this highlighted and what impression did this make on Gillespie?

12. What was the impact of the youths chasing and terrorising Tibbs?

13. Here you surprised at the identity of the killer?

14. How racially prejudiced was Gillespie? How racially prejudiced was Tibbs? How much understanding had been reached by the end of the film? How authentic was the final hand-shake?

15. How significant a contribution to racial understanding was this film?