The Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul, in collaboration with the Capri Theater and the Minnesota Historical Society, presents In the Heat of the Night, a 1968 winner of five Oscars including Best Picture and starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger, at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 6 at the Capri Theater, 2027 West Broadway. The film will be followed by a discussion led by Film Society and First Thursdays programmer, Craig Laurence Rice. Tickets to First Thursday Films are $5; purchase in advance at mspfilm.org or at the door the night of the show.
In the Heat of the Night is a gripping, suspenseful, racially charged murder mystery that takes place in a small Mississippi town. The story heats up when local Police Chief Bill Gillespie (played by Steiger) is embarrassed to learn that the man he has arrested for a local murder is Detective Virgil Tibbs (Poitier), an experienced police officer from Philadelphia who is passing through town and is keen to leave the prejudiced community as soon as possible. When Tibbs’ superior officer orders him to assist on the case and the victim’s widow demands that he lead the investigation, the unlikely pair are forced to work together to unravel the mystery, leading them on a line of enquiry that will challenge both of their preconceptions.
In addition to stellar performances by Poitier and Steiger, the film features a distinguished supporting cast and a brassy-bluesy score by Quincy Jones.
Each First Thursday Films screening at the Capri is followed by a passionate discussion of the movie. For In the Heat of the Night we welcome Craig Laurence Rice, Film Society programmer and long-established educator, diverse entertainment executive, and award-winning producer and director who is nationally recognized for his distinguished career in the television and film industries. His work has been nominated for multiple Emmy Awards, an NAACP Award, and several other honors.
This screening of In the Heat of the Night is the first of several First Thursdays films this season that will be shown in conjunction with The 1968 Exhibit at the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS), our new series partner. Community Partner, the Northside Funders Group, will also be screening Northside Storyville shorts prior to each film.
First Thursday Films @ the Capri is presented and curated by the Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul as part of Black Cinema: Under the Skin, a program of films by Black filmmakers and exploring Black culture and experience. Topical and relevant in these turbulent times, Black Cinema aims to create a space for dialogue and better understanding.
First Thursday Films @ the Capri is generously supported by Film Society Masters Bill and Michelle Pohlad, the Minnesota Historical Society and Target. More info: thecapritheater.org or mspfilm.org.