Lilies of the Field Reviews

• amen

  
  By A341BG8RMH8QW on 2002-09-12
  I have a soft spot for "Lilies of the Field." One of my favorite teachers first introduced me to this movie. I'll try (and probably fail) to be objective in my review.

  First, and most obviously, Sidney Poitier is amazing as Homer Smith. Homer is a little larger than life. Yet Poitier brings him off as not only believable, he turns Homer into an everyman of sorts.

  Beyond Poitier things get a little shaky.

  Lilia Skala is impressive indeed as the mother superior. Her harsh seeming exterior conceals a tender heart. The dignity she uses to deal with Smith's first leaving and return is truly endearing.

  That said, the other nuns and many of the villagers come off a little too cardboard-cut-outish for my taste. There is also some pretty "sixties" acting (where you can visibly see the actor acting). Luckily, these flaws are easily overcome by the immense heart of this film.

  At its core, Lilies of the Field is about resurrection and unexpected fulfillment. Coming together under the guidance of an unseen hand ("he build the chapel"), disparate people find more to life than what had seemed to be there before. The scene with the Priest at the end still gets me after seeing it more than a few times.

  I give "Lilies of the Field" my heartfelt recommendation.
  
  

• A Great Film for your Inner peace

  
  By APZ9MBMUKD2W on 2005-05-09
  If you overload on frustration or anger and want to delete it, then go watch this film. It will take the load off you and give you some hope and peace in its place. All that I can say is that mere words fail me in praising this film!
  
  

• Lilies of the Field

  
  By A3KGZ4Y3XQM7CK on 1999-12-19
  I found Lilies of the Field to be one of the most powerful and inspiring movies I have ever experienced. It is a story about growth, sacrifice, faith, and the power of human beings to occasionally work a small miracle or two.

  A group of German nuns believe that a black, baptist drifter has been sent to build a chapel for their remote, Mexican-American community in Arizona. He disagrees, but can't seem to bring himself to move on; and so the fun begins.

  Yes, this is a serious story, but the movie is full of joy, good humor, and surprises. Although faith is an important part of the movie, it is not forced down your throat. Sidney Poitier is wonderful as the happy go lucky Homer Smith, and Lilia Skala is a delightfully tough Mother Superior. There are no car chases, guns, fights, romances, or scantily clad women This is just a great story that happens to be superbly performed. I recommend it most highly!
  
  

• A little film that did

  
  By A2XRZV63X79YSJ on 2005-06-17
  Sidney Poitier was already a star when this film came around. But what this film did is prove that he was a great actor. This film has no flash or technical sophistication. This is a film with a simple, direct and compelling story of faith and good deed.
  
  Homer Smith is a casual laborer who stops to help out a small convent and winds up building a chapel.
  
  Poitier plays homer with humanity. Lilia Skala plays the reverend mother who uses her faith and iron will to get Homer to build the chapel.
  
  This is a movie of pure emotion and extreme heart. If this film does not give the feel goods, nothing will.
  
  

• "EVERYONE stand up!"

  
  By AEXGGB9P0MOTN on 2002-11-23
  Let me start this off with one irreversible fact: I am not a religious person. Thus it is a pleasant surprise for me to be charmed by a film which, quite simply, is about faith. Not faith in the traditional evangelical sense, which is perhaps why it appeals to me; it's about faith in other people, in honesty and commitment, and...sappy as it sounds...in doing good.

  One key reason why I enjoyed "Lilies of the Field" is because my favorite films are character-centred dramas (especially black and white ones!). This is just one in a list of such films released under MGM's "Vintage Classics" DVD label, joining the ranks of such greats as "12 Angry Men", "Birdman of Alcatraz" and "Elmer Gantry". They are simple, well-scripted and directed films that, when all is said and done, sink or swim on the quality of one thing: an actor's performance, in this case the legendary Sidney Poitier. He carries the character of Homer Smith with expert precision, neither making him overly-compassionate or overly-selfish (a lesser actor might have gone one of these two directions), and very much deserving of the Academy Award he won. He is of course joined by several quality supporting actors, most notably Lilia Skala as the cantankerous Mother Maria and Stanley Adams in a rare dramatic role as the gas station owner, Juan.

  Ultimately, the story is a little on the thin side - it is _very_ simplistic, even more so than most movies of its kind - and some characters, especially the other nuns, do little more than nod and smile, but the natural warmth and humor of the film carry it the full 95-minute length and leave the viewer feeling satisfied. It is a very charming picture and great for the whole family...especially during the holidays (despite having no actual holiday 'ties'). Even if you're a bit skeptical, give it a try - I don't think you'll regret it.
  
  

• I still love every part of this one from beginning to end
  By A121OCMN22PHMJ on 2001-03-05
  I am still amazed every time I sit down to watch this film. I have never been able to find a single minute in the movie that is not enthralling. Every aspect is just perfect. The B & W cinematography is excellent, the acting and characterizations are perfect (Poitier won an Oscar for his role as a skeptical but proud man), and the dialogue is witty and amusing. And of course anyone who has seen this film remembers the "Amen" scenes. If you haven't seen the film, just imagine a bunch of German nuns singing a "down-home" gospel song, lead by Sidney Poitier. Speaking of music, Jerry Goldsmith's score is one of the more memorable in film history. The style fits the style of the whole film like a glove.

  Enough said. I think you know my opinion on whether you should get this.
  
  

• Divine Persuasion
  By A20JYIHL1W1U54 on 2002-03-21
  In 1962 Sidney Poitier won the Academy Award for Best Actor for director Ralph Nelson's LILIES OF THE FIELD. Poitier played the handyman stranger, Homer Smith, who helps build a chapel for German-speaking nuns in the American southwest. Poitier played a man of dignity and purpose that is pitted in a friendly but feisty test of wills between him and Mother Maria, leader of the nuns, played by Lilia Skala. This is a wonderful film that explores the idea that one should never underestimate the divine tools that we are given and that sharing those tools can be both rewarding and gratifying. Jerry Goldsmith composed a moving and uplifting score combining both idioms of Americana and Gospel. Sidney Poitier is perfect as Homer Smith. After feasting on a single fried egg from the nuns each morning Poitier's description of the breakfast he orders from Stanley Adams in the diner is a gastronomic mouthwatering delight. It's one of the best and most amusing scenes in the movie and demonstrates Poitier's versatile appeal.
  
  
• Amen.
  By A396SBGKAOLTZE on 2003-10-23
  Simple, uncluttered, charming- sadly, this film could not be made today simply because the mentality of so many Hollywood studios is steeped in formulaic storytelling: more sensationalism (they would want Homer Smith to exude more action, and maybe have a hot romance), and more youth (the 36-year old Sidney Poitier would be considered too old for the role today; Hollywood would want a younger, and definitely "edgier" actor to do the role now. Ice Cube? Mekhi Phifer?) As it is, the story gets to the point in short order, and gives a stronger lesson about teamwork, tolerance, and faith in its 94 minutes than most modern films do today (I'm sure there are cynics who'll read this and pigeonhole it in so-called 'political correctness' because it dares to mention positive race relations, but whether you agree or not, that is part of the world we live in). One could even argue that Poitier's relationship with Mother Superior Lilia Skala never really reaches a warm-and-fuzzy breakthrough, but I accept that compromise based on the fact that the characterizations are tight as a drum, and leave little room for a 180-degree change. (After the completion of the chapel there are various facial ponders, but no further dialogue; only the chant of "Amen-" as it should be.) Check it out, and marvel at a film that cost less than a quarter million dollars to make.
  
  
• A BRIGHTNESS OF HOPE
  By A9FQ99PZLWOS0 on 2005-02-23
  In our home, on Sundays, regular television broadcasting is entirely avoided, as well as most secular movies. We generally watch only what we call "scripture movies"--those specifically designed to support gospel teaching. "Lilies of the Field", while secular does indeed support gospel principles in a wonderfully subtle, simple, yet poignant and entertaining way. The film encourages serving others, recognizing that our Heavenly Father loves all of us equally despite our differences of race, religion, etc., that we are all blessed with gifts which He intends for us to use to serve His purposes and in so doing serve our "neighbor".
  
  Sidney Portier's Oscar-winning performance is spectacular. But when has it not been? You finish watching this film and want to go out and perform some unselfish service for someone with as much grace, care and good humor as "Schmidt". Yes, initially, Homer would have liked to have been paid. As it turns out he was, just not in cash. He gained the view of himself as being of much greater worth than "mammon" and a peaceful release of a self-sabotaging pride in the of realization of at least one of his dreams. For once the chapel is complete, he carves his name in so obscure a place that no one else is ever likely to see it and give him credit for the building. But that's okay with Homer now, HE KNOWS that he may truly call himself contractor, engineer and Master Craftsman.
  
  Not only is this movie delightful for its life lessons, but for its ability to appeal to anyone, hopefully, everyone. I have three sons, ten and under. All of them are as in love with video games and gratuitously, action-packed films as any other boys I know. Still, whenever the boys have a Monday off from school ("Lilies..." is feature length unlike "scripture movies",so they are allowed to stay up late enough to watch it), the Sunday viewing line up WILL, invariably, include "Lilies of the Field" -- THEIR choice. Indeed, my oldest claims it as one of his favorites, right up there with Star Wars films. It makes me happy since it is of such high quality and has been one of my favorites since childhood, too.
  
  The HOPE I mention in my subject line refers to this film's managing to retain a full dose of it, notwithstanding the tests of time, the scarcity of respectable, humble male African American characters in film, plummeting values and standards in all forms of entertainment, fluctuating race/nation relations and the increasing frenzy to acquire money and things by any means--good or evil--necessary.
  
  We watch this film on DVD and the quality is perfectly sufficient.
  
  
• SPECTACULAR!!
  By AKNZO5M2CI9JJ on 2001-08-05
  I just watched this film for the first time and it was amazing. I did not rent it for the back cover paragraph, but for the cover. I loved Sydney Poitier in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and so i decided to get Lillies of the Field. In the back of my head was the biblical allusion but that also paid very little heed in my decision.

  On a very relaxing Sunday afternoon when I was not much into the mood to concentrate on a movie, this film drew me in. At the begining I was putting, juggling golf balls, and sorting magazines but soon all activities lost all point as the awe inspiring story progressed onward. By the end, I was in tears and felt better about the world. That is the markings of a good film.
  
  

• Another Poitier Triumph
  By on 2002-05-25
  Although highly regarded in its day, "Lilies of the Field" is now considered a relic of the civil rights era or Hollywood's token Oscar "gesture" to a Black performer. This is unfortunate, since it underrates both the film and Poitier's textured performance. "Lilies..." is a simple, funny and touching story that emphasizes respect for the differences in people. Lilia Skala gives a powerhouse performance as the Mother Superior, almost stealing the film from Poitier. She gives just the right measures of rage and prideful determination to make her character sadly noble. Hers is one of the most memorable supporting performances on film, and she deserved an Oscar as well. But this is Poitier's show, and he gives the character of Homer humor, rebeliousness and magnanimity that make him unique in films. Rather than the usual angry political stance Hollywood takes with anything involving race, this character is presented as simple, decent, a little lost, but just an average man doing the best he can. There's nothing "special" about him, which makes the character (and Poitier's performance) special and memorable. Of note in this edition, the digital transfer of the film is especially crisp and vivid, not the usual slack job MGM does with these older films. Unfortunately, there are almost no extras, and it would have been great to have a commentary by Poitier to listen to. Still, this is a memorable film for the whole family. Makes me wanna holler.
  
  
• Poitier made history and appeared in one dandy film, too!
  By A31U2QT7SAL7K on 2006-02-27
  The film that made Sidney Poitier the first African-American MALE to win an acting Oscar is one of the best character-driven movies of all time. Poitier is magnificent as an itinerent handyman that becomes the "savior" to a quintet of nuns that are attempting to build a chapel in the American southwest.
  
  Poitier was not the only one deserving of an Oscar for this film, though. In every scene in which she appears, veteran actress Lila Skala is a delight, balancing her stern demeanor with a hidden fondness for Poiter's "Homer Smith". Character actor Stanley Adams deserved a supporting actor nod for his brilliance as a Hispanic cafe owner that delivers one of the film's best lines.
  
  And the remarkable score from a young Jerry Goldsmith is a treat for the ears. Goldsmith effectively interpolates Jester Hairston's classic gospel tune "Amen" throughout the film in some intriguing ways.
  
  The combination of great performances, outstanding cinematography, and an outstanding score make this "field of lilies" bloom to the highest.
  
  
• Lilies of the Field is a Work of ART!
  By on 1999-05-20
  This amazing movie used to be shown on TV, usually between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I fell in love with this movie from the 1st time I saw it. Sydney Poitier deserved his Oscar for this and you will immediately see why he became a star. "They don't make 'em like this anymore" is an understatement. Now, only available on video, I urge you to buy this movie. Sit down, relax and enjoy a real story line, no special effects, no violence, no swearing and the most amazing true talent you will ever see. To top it off, this is a story that leaves you feeling good and you will be humming "AMEN"
  
  
• True delight!
  By A1PMK8FLS4SWZ3 on 2001-07-30
  I saw this film on television during easter many years ago and it made me very happy - a film to be remembered. Low key, yet realistic not becoming 'shallowly' sentimental and jargon free it has the air of the great British/Australian story teller Nevil Shute. How the good of one man can transform and give people a purpose in life. Not from enormous money donations but by being nice to them. In our time of mediamania it brings a belightful breath of fresh air, buy it, borrow it or steel it (if you have to) but watch it.
  
  
• Simply Delightful!
  By A1RXUJQRRD1YLK on 2004-01-30
  A black man (Sidney) is passing through town minding his own business...but some German Sisters catch him in their grips like powerful sticky hooks, and will not let him go until God's plan is fulfilled.

  The German Sisters feel that (Sidney) is a God-send. This is the man who will build their chapel, their black angel, God's carpenter. ALLELUIA!!!!!!!!!!

  (Sidney) tries to leave many times, but God's plan is so apparent that something always stands in his way...not only that, but the sisters make him feel guilty about leaving. He was sent to them from GOD.

  The relationship that develops between he and the sisters is beautiful and humorous at times. When he sings 'AMEN' one cannot help but Know he was meant to be there.

  This is a movie about faith and love. How the most unconventional relationships can be the most fulfilling, brilliant, Godly, unforgotten.

  A simple man passing through town learns that living for himself is not enough. He is in town long enough to build a chapel, build relationships, find a purpose.

  When the chapel is built, he leaves once again to find whatever it was he was searching for...
  but the viewer knows he shall never be the same. AMEN
  
  

• Independent films of the 60's
  By A12X2J7AVZ04IQ on 2005-02-16
  I watch this film repeatedly to feel good. It's simple, strong and to the point. Ralph Nelson, director, was lucky enough to get Poitier to bring vibrant life to the simple novel of William Barrett. Poitier won the Oscar, and most deserved (some may take issue that Albert Finney's Tom Jones should've). One thing that some people miss is the fact that the nuns had been through hell, and so has the Black man. Once they connect, and understand each others' hell (or redemption), life goes on and goodness happens. I take exception with previous reviewers who said the townsfolk were inadequate; Stanley Adams has always been a reliable actor (Summer & Smoke). The new respect for independent film makes me think that this is a better film than we realize. The best thing of all is that any actor, of any color, could play this role. Hispanics play an important part, though none of it is important. Working together, what a concept; even in 1963. I will always be impressed with this film. PS~After repeated viewings, I was thinking that when Homer first approaches the nuns habitat, with a different music score, this could be a slasher film. Thank God for the simple 60's sensibilities...
  
  
• feel good story
  By AVF60NZ99H9D5 on 2005-09-26
  One of my favorite films of all time--and I'm not even religious. Poitier (plus entire cast) just about perfect here. Ralph Nelson, the director, did a wonderful job.
  
  No violance or nudity or profanity in this movie (not that I have anything against violence or profanity or skin in my movies) and yet it still ranks as one of the best movies I've ever seen...
  
  Goes to show you: you don't always have to have a bunch of car crashes and people being blown away every five minutes to end up with not only a successful/heartwarming picture on your hands, but one that continues to be popular more than thirty years after it was made.
  
  People who like this film might also want to check out Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru.
  
  
• Lilies of the Field - A Classic
  By A1VFICSYK056GC on 2006-07-27
  Most of the other reviews have already stated what is well known to anyone who has ever seen this movie. It is an absolute joy to watch, and seeing it is always an uplifting experience. Some of the so-called professional movie reviewers suggest that Lilies of the Field is simplistic - but it most certainly is not. It has a raft of themes relating to conviction, determination, belief, community and, above all, having a higher sense of purpose in life. It is beautifully filmed in black and white and, of course, features outstanding performances from Sidney Poitier, Lilia Skala and Stanley Adams. Movies like this, made on a very small budget, make you realize the incredible void in talent and imagination that currently exists in the modern movie industry - talent seems to have given way to special effects and high tech gimmicks. The other feature of Lilies of the Field is that it is a positive movie that doesn't indulge in the negativity of the current plethora of big budget movies that are around. If you haven't seen Lilies of the Field before, it is a must-see movie.
  
  
• A True Classic
  By on 2000-02-01
  Although I haven't watched this movie in a while, it is a true "gather the family around" classic. I bought it for my father last Christmas, because he always spoke about how much he had enjoyed it when it first came out. This is a film for all generations and ethnic groups -- timeless! Amen, Amen, Amen.
  
  
• True Art of film making
  By A3GQA6A9F3PYR1 on 2000-09-28
  When I was in high school an english teacher made us watch this movie. Instead of writing a story (like I did through most movies) I was glued to the TV and could not wait to finish it the next day. It was that powerful of a movie, and that is where I learn who Sidney Poitier was. This is the movie that indroduced me to what film making was, and how I learn to appreciate film making as an art! This movie lacks everything that Hollywood thinks will make a great movie--no swearing, violence, or nudity! It was just a well laid story, with outstanding actors, superb cinematography, and the best directed in a movie to date! Basically what I am saying is that this is the best movie out there and it is my fovorite. Should you see this? Yes, and watch with your family (parents, children, brothers and sister, spouse, or even a close friend). This is the best movie yet made.
  
  
• Antidote to worthless junk on VHS today!!
  By AOSQ5JIA2X4M on 2001-02-28
  After reading Sidney Poitier's recent memoir "Measure of a Man," interest in this film was rekindled. Does this black and white, 1960's film stand up in these contemporary times? Not only does it stand up, it stands up with a pride and dignity that puts most of today's lame Hollywood efforts to shame!

  This is a simple story, but it is proof that a simple story, illuminating simple human truths, if told well, can go on to live powerfully in one's memory. A wandering man inadvertendly stumbles onto a convent of nuns who believe that he has been "sent" to build their long awaited church. His better sense tells him to move on. His heart tricks him into staying. A crazy idea gradually transforms into a collective project, and the embodiment of a dream fulfilled. I also like that Poitier's character is so well defined and developed that the fact that he is black and the nuns are white does not factor one bit into the telling of the story. Interestingly, Poitier points out in his memoir that the production of this film oddly anticipated the story it told. The director was given a paltry sum to make the movie, since producers were convinced it would not be successful. Rather than conclude that the budget was too tight, the director carried on, asking the cast and crew to make extraordinary sacrifices, including unpaid rehearsal (in violation of actors' union rules). But such was the faith of those committed to bringing "Lillies of the Field" to screen. Such was the faith portrayed in the film. So, in effect, a wondrous film that simply HAD to find its way to realization. Great for the whole family in an era of aggressively marketed trash.
  
  

• When your goals are larger than yourself!
  By A3QABD7O3UGPE9 on 2001-04-02
  This is a beautifully made movie about internal motivations and a sense of giving. When we rise to a level greater than our immediate needs, we give to others regardless of common paths, beliefs, race, or any worldly ambition. As we walk through life, if we are lucky, we will find a way to leave our mark for posterity. Whether anyone will know us personally, is irrelevant. We will simply have made the world a bit better by us being in the right place at the right time, and seizing the chance to do our part.

  This movie speaks to those concepts and images. It is funny at times, and always thought-provoking. It is a simple movie about a simpler time. The performances gain their strength in their honesty and purity.
  
  

• Life Affirming Experience
  By A2B73CL3QSYWLB on 2005-12-22
  I was born in 1963 the year "Lilies of the Field" was released. It's not possible for me to gauge the impact this gentle film had in easing tensions in a racially fraught time in our country. Fortunately, this film is not merely a time capsule curio but one whose message of universal kindness and understanding is timeless. Why this film is not a heavy-handed message film is that director Ralph Nelson leavens the proceedings with light-hearted humor that would win over the most hard-hearted cynic. The film is also blessed with a towering performance by Sidney Poitier as handyman Homer Smith. Smith is a talented but directionless man who does not find his life calling until a group of Eastern bloc nuns entreat upon him to build them a chapel to serve a Mexican migrant congregation. The impulse could have been for Poitier to play Homer as some kind of Superman but he manages to tap into the foibles and humor of the character. Poitier won the Oscar for this role and in this case the Academy got it right. I can't recall a film where he's been better. He's matched well with the stern taskmaster Mother Superior played by Lilia Skala. In this season of good will, or any time of the year, this film is essential viewing. Amen.
  
  
• "Just passing thru."
  By AFDYHKAH8AJDT on 2006-03-29
  This is a smooth effortless beautiful story of faith. Other stories just seem to try so hard to make a point. This one succeeds!
  
  I used to watch this when I was a child. I saw it again over the weekend with my niece who is 13. Every movie I dusted off to play she would revert back to her toddler days and start whining. But I stuck to my guns and made her watch this. Of course the whining was even louder when she saw it was in Black and White, but it didn't take long for her to be reeled in. This movie is so endearing and it always amazes me how in ANY movie Sidney Poitier did in the early sixties he struck such a cord with the viewers to where you could not take your eyes off of him. NO ONE could have made this role work other than him, even Gregory Peck who I adore. Somehow it just wouldn't have been the same at all.
  
  With faith that could move a mountain the Reverend Mother thanks God for the man who will build a Chapel for her as Homer Smith or "Omer Schmitt" as she refers to him, stops there for water. When he notices her giving Thanks, he is very quick to tell her he is "just passing thru" to which she replies "Yah.... but you stopped." So begins the battle of faith and wills. She has no money in which to pay him; he works for hire so he can go further out west, yet thru her faith in God Homer will build her a "SHAP-IL". Homer's charm and generosity both melts some of her icy exterior and makes her let go of her ferocious pride as head of household when he brings brightness to the sisters' barren existence yet he doesn't allow her to run him over. (Not every time.) Although he and the Reverend Mother are just like oil and water Homer finds that he cannot up and leave them.
  
  It's amazing how a story whose cinematography shows the starkness of the landscape with the nuns walking in the distance (just 5 little black dots against a panoramic landscape of blazing white) and gentle story line can make you feel serene and happy where you would not usually equate the desert to those feelings. It's such a beautiful flowing mix of emotions and visions that you can't help but feel heart broken when the reverend mother realizes at the end what is going on when the sisters are singing "Amen." You want everything to stay just as it is. This story just seems to flow with no effort.
  It just unfolds...... absolutely beautiful.
  
  
  
• Heartwarming - one of the finest movies I have seen
  By on 1999-10-30
  A wonderful storyline replete with contrasts always merging differences in a heartwarming style that makes this movie one of the finest movies that I have seen. The black and white format adds significantly to the charm and character of the movie. Sidney Portier is certainly one of the finest actors to have appeared on the big screen. A wonderful story, well acted, and leaves a heartfelt desire to see it again.
  
  
• A heartwarming classic
  By A29Z3R1QK0HT8H on 1999-11-30
  This movie is a true classic that has endured the test of time. Great performances by all, Sydney Poiter is amazing in his role as a construction/handyman who meets up with a group of German who want him to "build them a shapel (chapel)". An inspiring testimony to the power of prayer (and a little hard work). A true must see for all ages!
  
  
• A Heart-Tugging Look at the Value of One Man at Work
  By A38LDMAI24WR0S on 2001-03-20
  A great movie. I don't understand why they don't show it more often. Sidney Poitier's character in this movie harkens back to his performance in "To Sir with Love." Also gives a nostalgic look at the American West. If you don't buy this excellent movie, make sure to rent it sometime. You'll enjoy it!
  
  
• One of the great Classics of the 20th Century
  By A34D7TSA7DVEH4 on 2003-03-03
  It's real simple. If you haven't seen this movie, IT IS A MUST SEE! While it is now 40 years old, it's age does not detract in the least. It's about man's relationship with himself, with others, and his understanding of a greater purpose in life. If I were trying to make a good impression on an alien from another planet - with respect to humanity - I would show him this movie.
  
  
• perfection
  By A18AYRYL1TY8VP on 2006-03-17
  One of only a handful of perfect movies. Sidney Poitier as Homer Smith gives a life-sustaining performance that will last forever. Director Ralph Nelson's vision brings to mind O'Keeffe's paintings and Martha Graham's ecstatic American ballets, so beautifully directed is this piece. Every inch of film pays homage to the great American desert. A constant visual starkness makes the rich, inviting heart of the film only riper and wiser than it otherwise would be. Frame by frame, with prodigal ease, Lilies of the Field offers nothing less than the full blown promise of everything American cinema could have become since 1963, but which, with few exceptions, failed to materialize, corporate fantasies supplanting cinematic art. The notable lineage of the great independent films can be traced to this one masterpiece, and to this day every actor can only raise his or her own art by watching Poitier incarnate Homer Smith with a jewelsmith's love and attention that can unstop your heart. You can watch this movie a hundred times and be only glad. Its hope is ineradicable, and its truth unnegotiable. You need to own a copy. DVD transfer quality is exceptional throughout.
  
  
• Has a mythic universality
  By A7I9V673LD57J on 2006-08-20
  This film teaches with an almost mythic universality. Into the Arizona desert come exiles from disparate places: Eastern Europe, Mexico, Africa. It isn't clear how many of them will be staying. But, still, a chapel needs building, for a new faith community. And the Mother Superior (Lilia Skala) is determined to get it built despite the poverty, even if she has to be pushy and sneaky about it. Into her life, and the lives of the other nuns, rolls an itinerant black handyman (Sidney Poitier). A product of modern life, he can seem loud and thick-skinned, but, inside, he's a genuinely nice guy. He's the perfect foil to be tricked into building something he does not yet realize he is aching to build.
  
  Spoiler Alert! The following reveals the (rather obvious) ending:
  
  
  The Mother Superior never quite thanks the handyman for staying and building the chapel, and the handyman never quite thanks her for giving him a chance to build something he would proudly sign his name to. But you can see the thanks in their eyes. This aspect of the film is part of its timeless allure. Through ambition, resentment, push, and shove; despite sometimes hilarious conflict, we get things done. In the end no one person wins, because everyone wins. A new chapel is built in the desert.
  
  
  

• Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (40th Anniversary Edition)
• A Patch of Blue
• In the Heat of the Night
• To Sir, With Love
• A Raisin in the Sun