In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Q1. How does this film relate to relate to Chapter 25 in Foner?

A way that the film relates to Chapter 25 is with the slow pace racial change. During this time in the 1960’s you had a lot of racism and segregation in the country. Many people did not tolerate it while others enforced it. In the film In the Heat of the Night, we have an African American detective, Virgil Tibbs, who in the beginning is racially profiled by an officer. In the beginning of the film we see Sergeant Sam Wood arrest Tibbs without any reason other than having money in his wallet that he presumes is stolen. Then we learn that he really is a very famous detective and is put into working out a case. This to me although it is facing racism is a step of social change because Tibbs is put in charge of the case and is a detective that is renowned for his work. Tibbs can be seen as a step for racial change in the United States. Another example of this is when white men are chasing Tibbs and is about to get taught a lesson after he slaps a rich well-known white man. This scene can be viewed as the same with the using tides of college students getting involved with civil rights. Many people that fought for rights were often hurt through violent acts like in the film where the white men were going to beat up or kill Tibbs. The film relates to Foner in the sense that it is a film that tries to give the audience of sense about the racial tensions that occurred after the civil rights movement and try to get people to educate about the negativity of racism and segregation.

Q2. What was the symbolism behind when Police Chief Bill Gillespie told Detective Tibbs “you’re just like the rest of us ain’t you?”

This particular part of the film shows the true intentions that Detective Tibbs has. In the scene before the line is given Tibbs slaps a rich white man that him and Chief Gillespie interview. When they leave, Tibbs begins to say some things that sound racist. They sound racist in the sense that he wants to bring the other cop down since Tibbs is a black detective. This then leads the chief to give that comment. The comment symbolizes that Tibbs along with the other cops have a racist side that sometimes comes out and they want to accuse the other person because of their skin color. The other scene in which we are able to se this symbolism is towards the end of the film in which Tibbs goes into a small shop and yells at the woman to tell her who it was that was involved. Out of frustration Tibbs begins to yell out that he wants to know who it was, and that he wants to get the white man. The fact that he said ‘white’ in the film lets the audience know that there is much more depth than is led on. We are left to assume that Tibbs wants to do this because he knows that it will help being a white man down to justice. The symbolism of “just like us” is to suggest that not only white people are racist but that other races also have a racial tension between others. Tibbs is a perfect example of this.

Q3. Do you think that the film offers a pessimistic or hopeful vision for the future of race relations in the United States?

I definitely do think that this film offers hope and pessimism. The reason being that although Tibbs is black, he is able to solve the crime and get respect from the white cops and the chief of police. A part in the film that this happens is after Tibbs goes for an autopsy and one of the people comments to the chief, “you don’t want him, but you need him…” This lets the audience know that Tibbs is needed and the whites know it too. We are able to see Tibbs portrayed as a big masculine lead that is very well educated and surprises most of the white cops in the film. This is seem as progress because at the time many African Americans did not have an education to where they are now allowed to have. Another part of the film, which provides hope, is at the end of the film in the interaction between Tibbs and Chief. You are able to see that Chief Gillespie respects Tibbs and is able to move from race and focus on who Tibbs really is as a person. This is a sign oh hope as we can see that some aspects of racism walls are deteriorating and there is room for joy and change in society.

Q4. Pick a character and what he/she stands for.

The character that I have chosen is the character of Chief Gillespie. In the beginning of the film we can see that he is close-minded and a little racist towards Tibbs. He represents your standard white man with the same ideas as many Americans at the time. He is a tough guy who believes in justice and doesn’t need help from a black man and throughout the film struggles with acceptance. Chief represents many Americans and the audience can identify with him in the beginning. Once Chief begins to change it is to show the audience that change and openness is important. One example in the film is when Tibbs is about to get beat up by thugs and Chief comes and breaks it off and actually defends Tibbs from getting hurt. This to me shows that he is a character that does not condone violence and to influence the audience to not be racist and accept others no matter what. We first know that he is open to change or ideas when he first contracts Tibbs to help him with a case since he is a detective. This shows us that he is very professional and doesn’t care as much about race but rather whoever is experienced enough and is willing to get help from a black man. Chief Gillespie depicts a racist man that eventually opens up and rethinks racism through the help of Tibbs. This shows that the American Culture was shifting into being more tolerant and promote peace amongst each other.