In the Change to the Big Screen
“Film is a very, very powerful medium. It can either confirm the idea that things are wonderful the way they are, or it can reinforce the conception that things can be changed.” These words were taken from the award-winning filmmaker and author Wim Wenders, someone who appreciates how movies have a profound impact on all different types of people. Perhaps this is why the most powerful books are so often transferred to the screen, as is so with In the Heat of the Night, a book by John Ball. Its powerful message, reinforcing “the conception that things can be changed”, is not lost in its transformation from a book to the screen, but three major differences stand out. One prominent example is character Sam Wood, the man whose inner thoughts shape the reader's view during the book. When first exposed …show more content…
However, Sam is quickly demoted from a major character to one in the background, and little to no development is made to his persona. The important battle fought inside him between his racist upbringing and the respect he nurtures towards Virgil Tibbs is lost in the film version. This leads to another major difference, the character of police chief Bill Gillespie. The movie relocates Sam’s important development to Gillespie's character, making him more monumental and influential in the storyline. Along with changing the evolution of Gillespie’s character, the movie shifts Gillispie's defining traits around to mold him into a more likable character. This change is made so audiences have a sense of Tibbs’ profound influence on Gillispie while not driving away white audiences with an abhorrent main white character. Going hand in hand with the change in Gillispie's character is the altered persona of Virgil Tibbs. The Virgil Tibbs that readers know from the book is seen as calm, unshakable, a man of far superior intellect than those around him. However, in the movie, he is shown to have
“Film is a very, very powerful medium. It can either confirm the idea that things are wonderful the way they are, or it can reinforce the conception that things can be changed.” These words were taken from the award-winning filmmaker and author Wim Wenders, someone who appreciates how movies have a profound impact on all different types of people. Perhaps this is why the most powerful books are so often transferred to the screen, as is so with In the Heat of the Night, a book by John Ball. Its powerful message, reinforcing “the conception that things can be changed”, is not lost in its transformation from a book to the screen, but three major differences stand out. One prominent example is character Sam Wood, the man whose inner thoughts shape the reader's view during the book. When first exposed …show more content…
However, Sam is quickly demoted from a major character to one in the background, and little to no development is made to his persona. The important battle fought inside him between his racist upbringing and the respect he nurtures towards Virgil Tibbs is lost in the film version. This leads to another major difference, the character of police chief Bill Gillespie. The movie relocates Sam’s important development to Gillespie's character, making him more monumental and influential in the storyline. Along with changing the evolution of Gillespie’s character, the movie shifts Gillispie's defining traits around to mold him into a more likable character. This change is made so audiences have a sense of Tibbs’ profound influence on Gillispie while not driving away white audiences with an abhorrent main white character. Going hand in hand with the change in Gillispie's character is the altered persona of Virgil Tibbs. The Virgil Tibbs that readers know from the book is seen as calm, unshakable, a man of far superior intellect than those around him. However, in the movie, he is shown to have