OSCARS '67: In the Heat of the Night
“They’ve got a murder they don’t know what to do with.”
STRONG CONTENT WARNING: Racism and discussions of racism in the deep south. Also, violence, murder, misogyny and abuse of women.
Last year, the Academy championed a film that explicitly whitewashed Southern racism by centering an amazing black story on his white chauffeur. It’s not the first time they would do this, and it certainly won’t be the last. But the bitter taste that Green Book left has colored most films dealing with racism and the South that we’ve viewed since then. Enter a breath of fresh air this week, with a movie that doesn’t try to hide the evil, pervasive nature of racism and Jim Crow. It’s not perfect, and it pulls its punches strategically, but it’s light years ahead of what Hollywood often accepts as commentary on racism. Perhaps it’s the crackling, tense energy of Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger that elevates the film, but it might just be how honest and raw the movie feels. This week, we’re watching In the Heat of the Night (1967) for Macintosh & Maud Haven’t Seen What?!
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Intro music taken from the Second Movement of Ludwig von Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Hong Kong (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 HK) license. To hear the full performance or get more information, visit the song page at the Internet Archive.
Excerpt taken from “In the Heat of the Night,” written by Quincy Jones with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman, and performed by Ray Charles. Copyright 1967 United Artists Records, Inc.
Excerpts taken from the film In the Heat of the Night are copyright 1967 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All rights reserved.
Excerpt taken from “L’il Red Riding Hood,” written by Ronald Blackwell and performed by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. Copyright 1967 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.
Excerpt taken from “Prelude: Thoroughly Modern Millie,” arranged and conducted by Andre Previn and performed by Julie Andrews. Copyright 1967 MCA Records, Inc.
