A scathing attack on small-town racial bigotry wrapped in a gripping crime narrative, Norman Jewison’s Best Picture winner saw Poitier play the character he is perhaps best known for: Philadelphia detective Virgil Tibbs. 

In the wrong place at the wrong time, Tibbs arrives in a small Southern town to visit his mother and finds himself drawn into a murder investigation in the fictional Mississippi town of Sparta. Initially the prime suspect, due to his being an African American and also carrying a substantial amount of cash, his very presence in the town is the cause of intense hostility from many locals. To investigate the murder, he is forced to partner with Chief Gillespie (Rod Steiger), whose views on racial matters are old-fashioned, to say the least.

This screening is a part of FACETS’ March 2022 series, A Tribute to Sidney Poitier.

Programmer’s Notes

by Charles Coleman, FACETS Film Program Director

“In the Heat of the Night deals with racism head-on, and however adversarial the situation becomes, Tibbs keeps cool and stands by his convictions, while maintaining his status as a figure of authority. Sidney Poitier delivers a magnificent performance in this film, as the elegant, defiant, and assured Virgil Tibbs, which remains so vital today and In The Heat of the Night won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture Best Screenplay, and Best Actor statuette for Rod Steiger.”