Sadly, many of the actors in this great movie have past; interesting though, that it was filmed mostly in southern Illinois, as the producers feared doing it in the deep south.
This scene never gets old. Game changer for me. Saw as a child growing up white in a very prejudiced Chicago 'changing' neighborhood. Even as a child I knew what people said about blacks was bullshit. When I watched this movie scene it terrified me as an already avid fan of Poitier. When he wasn't brutally beat or murdered something welled up in my chest and i started to cry. Happiness, I knew anything was possible then
Hollywood executives wanted Steiger for the role of Michael Corleone, incredible as that seems. 😂 It was widely known that they had no faith in the inexperienced Al Pacino.
I have watched this scene countless times and it is one of the best in this movie. I can't stand to watch the TV series. The actor looks nothing like Sidney Portier. I believe the actor that played Sidney's son in the second movie was Mr. Rollins. Mr. Rollins played the detective in the TV series and left the show due to drug issues.
Another Rod Stieger little remembered gem is 'The harder they fall' with Humphrey Bogart's last movie with onsetting cancer, released 1956. A first realistic view of the boxing scene up to that point. Robert at 69.
After viewing this scene several times, more and more I ask "Exactly what time of day is it supposed to be in this scene? Tibbs says he's catching a train at 4:05, the train whistles blows and Gillespie then concurs. Since it's still dark, one then must assume it's 4 A,M. If it's that time of day, why is all the police station staff on duty and why would Tibbs, chief in Philadelphia, that Gillespie is going to call, be in HIS office at that time of day? And then after some hob-nobbing around at the station Tibbs is about to leave shouting "I got a train to catch! Now wouldn't that train have come and gone by then?
Notice in this scene that it’s the actors that are holding your attention. Having nothing more than a bare, minimal set behind them. So you’re compelled to watch as they take you on a journey that starts from the beginning and takes you to the end. And all because they are telling a story and breathing life into it. So I say this to emphasize how many movies today have to rely on CGI, car chases, and scenes of violence to grab your attention. Otherwise, they’d die on the vine like rotting fruit. And all because they are telling a story and breathing life into it. And I say this to emphasize how many movies today are not telling a story. And have to rely on CGI, car chases, and scenes of violence to grab your attention. Otherwise, they would die on the vine like rotting fruit.
When Virgil Tibbs re-enters the chiefs office to talk to his superior up in Philadelphia, He closes the door on Officer Sam Wood; effectively shutting him out…
You got to give it to Chief Gillespie; as racist as he was, he was wise enough to realise that his best chance for solving the crime was about to take the 4:05 train, and that he needed to do whatever he could to get him to stay.
I was 9 years old when I saw this movie in 1975 , I grew up in Montreal, this is when I started to learn about prejudice and racism, thanks to Hollywood for putting this out at that time and began the change . Still a lot more to go . Exceptional film . My top 10
I loved this scene since the first time I saw it when it came out, Sidney show young Black children pride in being Black. Showing the world our strength, intelligence, ability, also we are as good or better. President Obama was the pinnacle of that performance.
