The Heat of the Night

This 1967 movie starring Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier tells the story of a murder in a small Mississippi town called Sparta. Poitier playing a Philadelphia police detective visiting his mother is caught up in the investigation by no choice of his own and then refuses to leave until he has solved the case.

Rod Steiger won the Oscar for Best Actor and deservedly so. His portrayal of the small town sheriff who still harbors many racist feelings having to deal with an African American detective who clearly knows more than him in how to deal with a murder.

Twice in the movie Chief Gillespie locks up the wrong man based on circumstantial evidence. As an aside here we should all sleep less soundly knowing that this sort of police work is still done in a great many cases. Often the evidence is tailored to fit the suspect.

The movie is a study in race and the Deep South. Racism permeates everything. White folks do not want to talk in front of black folks, serve them in their restaraunts or offer them any other courtesies they take advantage of.

In the end the murder is solved. We hear Poitier tell the Chief when asked what they call him in Philadelphia " They call me MR Tibbs." which has become an iconic statement.

The last line in the movie is the Chief telling Virgil " To take care you hear" is a classic understatement of an acknowledgement of a change in their relationship.

This is a great movie.

Doctor Zhivago

Have you seen this movie? Another of Director David Lean's masterful epic movies this 1065 version of the Boris Pasternak movie is immense. I have watched this movie twice before each time marveling at the story told against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution.

The cimematography, the scenery, the shots of contrast between the flowers, fields and hills in the summer and the snow and ice in the winter make this movie at times feel like a nature film that just happens to have people in the foreground.

The story of Dr. Zhivago is long and complicated and the ending is not wrapped up in a nice pretty package. The acting is superb with Omar Shariff, Julie Christie, Rod Steiger ( who is masterful) and Alec Guinness.

My wife watched the movie with me this weekend and came away feeling a bit disembodied. She said she liked the movie, actually liked it more than she thought she would but did not know why as she is not a fan of history like myself and did not find the Zhivago character to be as likable as she would prefer. She is not one for the modern antihero and has a hard time getting past the adultery whatever the circumstances. Still she said the movie was affecting and she did enjoy it.

I give it a much higher rating than that. One of the Top 10 movies on my list of all time and on most days in the Top 3. This movie is epic.

If you choose to watch it remember to keep track of the bailaluika.