In the Heat of the Night
US (1967): Drama/Mystery/Crime
This 1967 film took home lots of Oscars® for its fascinating drama about a Philadelphia detective (Sidney Poitier) who assists a redneck Southern sheriff (Rod Steiger) in solving a murder. A study in racism that ebbs a bit through the collective and shared need between a black man and a white man who don't want to be working together, the film continues to strike a chord today. Steiger is a mass of snarling danger, Poitier a bundle of nerves covered in class. Norman Jewison directs with a keen feeling for the cultural and social atmosphere of the setting. The cast also features Warren Oates, Lee Grant, Larry Gates, William Schallert and Beah Richards. This was the first PG rated film to win the Oscar for "Best Picture" (not counting re-ratings of older best-picture winners that took place in later years). The film was the basis for the TV series of the same name that ran from 1988 through 1994. (Tom Keogh, Amazon.com)
7 nominations, 5 Awards
· Best Picture 1967: Walter Mirisch - Producer (Mirisch-UA)
· Actor 1967: Rod Steiger
· Writing (Best Screenplay based on material from another medium) 1967: Stirling Silliphant
· Film Editing 1967: Hal Ashby
· Sound 1967: Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department
· Directing 1967: Norman Jewison
· Sound Effects 1967: James A. Richard