they call me MISTER tibbs

A different kind of slur is used in this movie. 'Boy', may not seem like the most insulting thing to be called, but when as a fully grown man everybody you meet in Sparta, Mississippi refers to you as a boy, that is something else. As Virgil points out, in Philadelphia, they call him Mr. Tibbs.

Sidney Poitier plays, yet again, the same character as he always does. Virgil Tibbs is a police officer and highly qualified homicide expert, but in Sparta, Mississippi he has no respect from strangers and everyone seems to hate him. The fact is, he got pulled into jail for no reason other than being black in the first place. But throughout the whole movie, for the most part, Virgil Tibbs endures all the slurs and all the abuse and manages to come out on top. Virgil, much like Dr. Brooks, has a thick, black skin. And just like Dr. Brooks, there is a point where Virgil snaps and acts unlike himself. In In the Heat of the Night, when slapped by Mr. Endicott for the accusations made against him, Virgil slaps him back. This could have gotten him killed, in fact, it almost did. Officer Gillespie could have killed him and made it look like self defense. The bigots chasing after Virgil probably would have killed him had Officer Gillespie not intervened. Soon after, Virgil composes himself, he realizes that he was letting his prejudices get the better of him, and that Endicott is not the killer at all. And in the end, Virgil is triumphant in finding the killer.

What is it that makes this Sidney Poitier character that keeps reappearing a great character. Obviously, he is a great man, and he does what he believes in, and one could even argue that he is a hero, for example for bringing justice to the murderer. But that is not all, in this movie, Virgil has the world working against him. Not only does he have so much adversity to over come, but all the hate in his way is for reasons out of his control. It is because of the color of his skin. And Virgil does not obsess over that like so many other black people in these movies, like Lefty in No Way Out who calls the question, "isn't it asking a lot to be better than them, when we get killed for trying to be as good". Virgil knows how little he can do about things like that, like other people's prejudices, and he goes on doing what he needs to do.

The word 'nigger' is only used a few times in this movie. The only scene it stands out in is the scene were Virgil has been chased down by the four white men and Officer Gillespie comes to his rescue. Once Officer Gillespie breaks up the brawl one of the white men calls him, 'nigger-lover'. Of course, Gillespie has a reaction and roughs up the men and sends them on their way. I think that this is a tasteful way to use the word 'nigger' in a movie. The word is not thrown around, and that also makes it all the more dramatic when it is used. It is shocking to hear the phrase 'nigger-lover' come out of a man's mouth, especially directed at a police officer. It is most apparent in this scene that Officer Gillespie is finally putting his prejudices aside to do the right thing. This quality about Officer Gillespie is reiterated in the final scene in his parting words to Virgil, "Take care, y'hear". Probably about the most kindest that the man could muster up, especially to a black man.

The reason that i had no post yesterday is because netflix was a bit tardy on their delivering me the movie. This means that I will be watching another movie tonight though: Sweet Sweetback's Baadassssss Song