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This Thursday, (January 18) at the Mary Pickford Theater at the Library of Congress (Washington, DC)

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Poster for “In the Heat of the Night” (Mirisch / United Artists, 1967).

IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (Mirisch / United Artists, 1967). Directed by Norman Jewison. Screenplay by Stirling Silliphant, from the novel of the same name by John Ball. With Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant, Larry Gates, James Patterson. (110 min, DeLuxe color, 35mm archival print from the MGM Collection).

Sidney Poitier in one of his most iconic roles as a Black police detective from Philadelphia (“They call me Mister Tibbs”) who reluctantly becomes involved in a murder investigation in a small town in Mississippi. The depiction of the visceral racism and xenophobia of the American south has lost none of its impact despite the film having been released more than a half a century ago, not long after the passing of landmark 1960s civil rights legislation. The palpable tension is enhanced by the sweltering heat that the audience can almost physically experience courtesy of Haskell Wexler’s superb cinematography. Winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director, Actor (Rod Steiger) and Screenplay. Selected for the National Film Registry in 2002.

Seating is on a first-come first-serve basis. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Film starts at 7:00 pm.

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