In the Heat of the Night: A Classic Murder Melodrama

Alyson Nounй

AMS 3930

Critical Analysis I

In the Heat of the Night: A Classic Murder Melodrama

In the Heat of the Night is a classic 1967 film directed by Norman Jewison and produced by Walter Mirisch for MGM Home Entertainment. The screenplay written by Stirling Silliphant was based on a novel by John Ball. This film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and received five Oscars, including Best Picture.

The story begins after the murder of a wealthy northern industrialist who hoped to found a large factory in this quiet town of Sparta, Mississippi. Police deputy Sam Wood (Warren Oates) is sent by his Sheriff, Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) to comb the streets looking for the potential killer. Wood discovers Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), a well-dressed black stranger waiting for a late night train in a deserted train station and because of his color, immediately takes him into