FROM THE BACK OF THE BOX:
An African American police detective is asked to investigate a murder in a racially hostile southern town.
FROM THE BACK OF MY BRAIN:
“In the Heat of the Night” was something that always around when I was younger. Much like “M.A.S.H.”, it was always on television and you couldn’t escape. I’m talking about the film and television series. Virgil Tibbs was a stern figure who came to the South to duly indict a man, so he doesn’t escape justice. Sheriff Gillespie was a good ol’ boy who didn’t want to be bossed around by an outsider. Only by putting aside their differences and learning together, the duo finds a way to save the day. Teamwork is what matters here and not the derision that comes from forcing political issues as the only sticking point.
Poitier and Steiger work very well off each other. Stirling Silliphant’s Oscar winning script doesn’t get enough credit for actually allowing the nature of racism to be presented onscreen. Showing that it comes from misunderstanding and bias on both sides, then allowing it to turn into a point of understanding is far more realistic than even modern day fare. When the film ends, the viewer feels satisfied without having been preached at for the duration of the film. If you’re going to tackle serious issues, you must do so in a way that invites the audience to learn and grow with your creations.
The Blu-Ray comes with commentary and featurettes. The A/V Quality is a matter onto itself. I worked with DVD Active (www.dvdactive.com) to do active screen comparisons between this disc and the last DVD release. The 1080p transfer doesn’t show glaring issues during night exteriors, it’s just everything else shows digital mishaps. It is a crying shame that Haskell Wexler’s cinematography has been mangled in the push to HD. The DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track works for a highly mixed take on an open track pre Dolby sound design. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!
