In the Heat of the Night

1967’s Best Picture winner, In the Heat of the Night, tells the beautiful story of a mystery with themes of racial hostility during the civil rights era and shows how negligent the police force were at the time. We follow as detective Virgil Tibbs is falsely accused of murder, and when found innocent, ends up working alongside chief of police Bill Gillespie to solve the case. We see how their biases toward each other intervene with their ability to combine forces and find the perpetrator. This film is an uncomfortable yet honest character study of the police in the Deep South and how concerned people were with the colour of your skin. The sound track is also such a perfect addition to this movie, creating that soulful and heavy atmosphere to go along with the disdain and distrust displayed by the incredible actors. I think this film is a very important watch to grasp just how shocking and unjust times have been.

Victoria Beaumont