Of the many films deemed Best Picture of the year by the Academy Awards, In the Heat of the Night is one of the few that manages a truly difficult accomplishment; that of remaining relevant through the years despite a very specific topic of the era. In fact, if it weren’t for the 1960’s automobiles, you might not know when this film was produced, let alone when it is supposed to be taking place.

This 1967 Best Picture winner is basically a blueprint for all good detective dramas. It’s the story of a black Philadelphia police officer (Sidney Poitier) investigating a murder in Mississippi while matching wits with a redneck sheriff played by Rod Steiger. Groundbreaking for it’s time, the Oscar-winning film is every bit as powerful today and offers a gripping mystery with terrific dramatic performances including Warren Oats and Lee Grant.

The credit for the film’s success is due in large part to the powerhouse talent of the impeccable cast. It’s just impossible to imagine two other actors attempting the challenging roles of Virgil Tibbs and Sheriff Gillespie. Poitier personifies the everyman who believes in justice as he is persecuted by the ignorant, and Steiger is just so achingly real in his portrayal of a man torn between intelligence and the bigotry on which he was raised. Both were at the top of their game in 1967, with Steiger receiving the Oscar for Best Actor for his role, and Poitier (who had already won the Oscar three years earlier for Lilies of the Field) starring in two other high profile films of the year: To Sir with Love and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.

Of course, one mustn’t over look director, Norman Jewison (Moonstruck, Fiddler on the Roof, The Hurricane). His discerning eye and often guerilla-type filmmaking presents the South in a straightforward and un-romanticized manner. He depicts the world of civil rights era Sparta, Georgia as black and white as the segregated town itself. Jewison deftly crafts a film about unveiled prejudice, yet avoids heavy handedness without shirking the real issues, and shows an inexplicable bond forged between two diverging lawmen who cannot help but attain a mutual respect for each other - and keeps it entertaining. This in itself is reason enough for an Oscar.

(click on names for IMDB.com listings)