Product Details

• Actors: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant, Timothy Scott
• Directors: Norman Jewison
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: United Artists
• DVD Release Date: January 15, 2008
• Run Time: 109 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000XJD34I
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,081 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #14 in	Movies & TV > Mystery & Suspense > Crime > Cops
  #33 in	Movies & TV > Mystery & Suspense > Detectives
  #82 in	Movies & TV > Drama > Crime & Criminals

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Both riveting murder mystery and classic fish-out-of-water yarn, Norman Jewison's Oscar-winning In the Heat of the Night represents Hollywood at its wiliest, cloaking exposé in the most entertaining trappings. Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger prove the decade's most formidable antagonists. Poitier plays Virgil Tibbs, an arrogant homicide detective waylaid in Sparta, Mississippi; Steiger, in his bravura Oscar-winning turn, is Bill Gillespie, the town's hardheaded, bigoted sheriff who first arrests Tibbs for murder and then begs for his expertise. As the clues and suspects mount, Gillespie and his deputies develop begrudging respect for the black officer. The first-rate supporting cast includes Lee Grant as the victim's angry widow, Warren Oates as a voyeuristic deputy, William Schallert as the pragmatic mayor, and, in his screen debut, Scott Wilson (In Cold Blood) as an unlucky fugitive. The brilliant widescreen cinematography is by Haskell Wexler, and the scat-music score is by Quincy Jones. Ray Charles wails the blues theme song. --Glenn Lovell

Product Description
While traveling in the Deep South, Virgil Tibbs, a black Philadelphia homicide detective, becomes unwittingly embroiled in the murder investigationof a prominent businessman when he is first accused of the crimeand then asked to solve it! Finding the killer proves to be difficult, however, especially when his efforts are constantly thwarted by the bigoted town sheriff (Steiger). But neither man can solve this case alone. Putting aside their differences and prejudices, they join forces in a desperate race against time to discover the shocking truth.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ALWAYS READ EVERYONE'S REVIEW..., February 4, 2008

By	THE ATHLETIC STUD (SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA) - See all my reviews

You know, that old saying, "Opinions, is like...(You know), everyone has one? I suppose, that can also apply to movie reviews, too. I read the review, that someone sent in, on the 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition of, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT. It was very enlightening, but there was something about it, that just didn't make sense. That person indicated in their review, that there wasn't anything different in the 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition DVD, of IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, which was released a few weeks ago, from the original DVD version, which was released, in 2005. When I read that person's review, I said to myself, "Well, there's no sense buying it again, just for the movie alone". Then, it occurred to me. Why would the studios release a great movie, like this one, on DVD...call it, "The 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition"...and not have any special features, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the film? According to the review, of that person, and unfortunately, according the lack of special features info, on the Amazon page, I believed that person, and Amazon...Until the other night, when I saw the "The 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition" DVD of IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, in the store. I flipped the cover around only to find out that there're not 1...not 2, but 3 featurettes:
1) TURNING UP THE HEAT: MOVIE-MAKING IN THE 1960'S
2) THE SLAP HEARD AROUND THE WORLD
3) QUNICY JONES: BREAKING NEW SOUND...(Which is worth buying the DVD for)
So, I bought it. I suppose, the point of all of this is. Actually, there're two points:
Don't go by only one's opinion or one's review, and the most important point: Amazon, you have a great web page, and we all know that you're trying to cut costs, but remember: You're trying to save, but in long run, you'll be losing...losing money and customers.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I may be biased but....., March 25, 2008

By	W. T. Waldron ""I am the Artman"" (Sparta, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I live in Sparta Illinois where the movie was filmed in the fall of 1966. It took several viewings back in 1967 before I could get past the "I know whose house that is," and " Why did Stieger drive all the way around the block to get to the Mayor's place?"
Anyway, I wanted to add that the sound quality on this release is excellent. You can hear the rocks popping off of the police car's tires as Warren Oates slowly drives away from the diner. I also found the extras to be most interesting. The one on Quincy Jones and the soundtrack was very informative.
To fans of the film and its companions in the 1967 Oscar race I would also recomend "Pictures at A Revolution: Five movies and the Birth of the new Hollywood" by Mark Harris.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I'M A POLICE OFFICER!" ~ Distrust, Prejudice, Hatred And Murder On A Hot Summers Night, June 10, 2008

By	Brian E. Erland "Rainbow Sphinx" (Brea, CA - USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you were to make a list of what you consider to be the greatest pairings of Hollywood legends in a film what individuals would you include? Maybe some of your favorites are O'Toole and Sharif from `Lawrence of Arabia', or possibly Abrahams and Hulce from `Amadeus'?

There are certainly many outstanding dual performances to choose from and unquestionably one of the best can be found in the '67 film `In the Heat of the Night'. If you've seen this movie you know exactly who I'm talking about, Sidney Poitier as New York police officer and forensic specialist Virgil Tibbs and his antagonist Rod Steiger as Bill Gillespie, good ole boy and local sheriff in Sparta, Mississippi.

`In the Heat of the Night' is a superior murder mystery in its own right, but it's the visual posturing and verbal banter between Tibbs and Gillespie that elevates this film to the level of classic. Watching their relationship slowly evolve from hated adversaries to a place of mutual respect and admiration is a cinematic event capturing two of the best performances you'll ever see.

This one most definitely belongs in your personal DVD collection.