In The Heat of The Night parents guide

In The Heat of The Night Parent Guide

Racial tensions run high in this Oscar winning classic

Overall A-

Sidney Poitier plays a Philadelphia policeman who is wrongly accused of murder (simply because he is black) when he is passing through Sparta, Mississippi. Lucky the mistake is sorted out, but he doesn't escape the assignment of helping the bigoted, local police chief (Rod Steiger) find the real killer.

Release date August 23, 1967

Violence C+
Sexual Content B-
Profanity B-
Substance Use B-

Why is In The Heat of The Night rated Not Rated? The MPAA rated In The Heat of The Night Not Rated

Run Time: 109 minutes

Parent Movie Review

In one particularly prickly dinner scene in the 2013 movie The Butler, the character Cecil Gaines praises the film In the Heat of the Night. For him, Sidney Poitier’s role as a big city detective who solves a small town crime proves that African Americans were starting to be recognized for their talents. Cecil’s son disagrees.

Poitier himself might have wondered how much was really changing in the racially divided America when he accepted the role of Virgil Tibbs in the 1967 film. He made it clear to Director Norman Jewison that he would not work in locations below the Mason-Dixon Line. He had good reason to worry. According to a book by singer Harry Belafonte, Poitier was with the performer when the Ku Klux Klan nearly killed the pair while they were in Greenwood, Mississippi. Jewison agreed to the terms and had the production shot in Illinois. Later however, the crew and actors had to move to Tennessee for a scene of Tibbs driving past a cotton field. There again filming had to be cut short because of threats.

In the movie, Poitier plays a Philadelphia policeman who is wrongly accused when a murdered man is found in the streets of Sparta, Mississippi. The local law officers, looking for someone to blame, find the well-dressed black man waiting at the train station and instantly arrest him. Only after they discover their suspect is actually a respected officer do they let him go. Once released Virgil is ready to get out of town, but his boss suggests he stay and help find the real killer.

Virgil is the last person Chief of Police Gillespie (Rod Steiger) wants assistance from. But this is the first murder he’s dealt with and it is soon obvious his clumsy detective work won’t lead them to the culprit. Still, the distrust between Gillespie and Tibbs is palpable from the get go.

In the Heat of the Night won five Oscars including a Best Actor in a Leading Role for Rod Steiger and the Best Picture award. However, the Academy Awards had to be postponed for two day because of the assassination of civil rights activist Martin Luther King.

While the film reflects the tension that was rampant at the time of its production, it also gives a glimmer of hope for the future. Gillespie is a stereotypical small town Southern sheriff. Tibbs views the locals with a certain superior air. Yet over time these two law officers gain at least a respect for one another. Best suited for teens and adults, In the Heat of the Night addresses racial divisions just as powerfully today as it did when it débuted.

Directed by Norman Jewison. Starring Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates. Running time: 109 minutes. Theatrical release August 23, 1967. Updated

In The Heat of The Night
Rating & Content Info

Why is In The Heat of The Night rated Not Rated? In The Heat of The Night is rated Not Rated by the MPAA

Violence: The body of a dead man is seen lying in the street. Some pooled blood is shown around the corpse as well as on the seat of a car used to transport the body. Two men slap one another. Characters are involved in a car chase. A gang carrying shovels and other tools threatens a man. A character is shot at close range (no blood is shown). Several characters are unjustly accused of murder. A character talks about performing abortions.

Sexual Content: A nude woman is seen standing in front of window: her breasts are partially covered by the window frame. A man goes out of his way to see her. A character describes her sexual encounter with a man who is later accused of rape. A man says he was arrested for being a Peeping Tom. Police question a character that secretly performs abortions.

Language: The script contains about a dozen mild profanities, some terms of Deity and several uses of a racial slur.

Alcohol / Drug Use: One character smokes a cigarette and another smokes a cigar. A character appears to be intoxicated while drinking at home. Some other brief drinking is shown.

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In The Heat of The Night Parents' Guide

How does this film reflect the racial tensions that the country faced at the time? How did attitudes toward blacks differ in the north and the south? How did the actor Sidney Poitier help change the public’s attitude toward black actors?

Is racial profiling still a problem in policing? What other stereotypes may impact a police investigation?

How do the attitudes of these two police officers change as they work together?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of In The Heat of The Night movie is January 14, 2014. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: In The Heat of the Night (1967)

Release Date: 14 January 2014

In The Heat of the Night releases to home video (Blu-ray) with the following extras:

- Audio Commentary with Norman Jewison, Lee Grant, Rod Steiger and Cinematographer Haskell Wexler

- Turning Up the Heat: Moviemaking in the ‘60s

- The Slap Heard Around the World

- Quincy Jones: Breaking New Sound

Related home video titles:

Racial prejudice is the theme of these movies too: Remember The Titans, The Help, 42 and To Kill A Mockingbird.