Una voz en las sombras

So many of the comments are so eloquent and they all seem to reflect my own reactions, I would not want to muddy the waters by echoing them. One thing that struck me that was not mentioned was the incredibly thoughtful composition of the scenes in the film. The positioning of the tiny cross above the door in the main house was almost heartbreaking. The positioning of the crane in 2-3 scenes was extremely imaginative. When Homer ran up the stairs "into the light" (sunlight) of the Nun's roof I felt myself as uplifted as Homer Smith. The technique of the "camera moving away from the actors" in the early scene of the Sisters following after Homer's car as he went to leave was extremely powerful. I wondered if this technique would be used again or possibly overdone. It was only used one more time, very briefly, so as to not trivialize its initial use... What an amazing level of artistic discipline. I'll say it as well, this may be the most perfect film ever made.

Homer Smith (Sidney Poitier) is a stubborn , obstinate ex-soldier when heading himself to the West he stops at a farm in desert . There meets a group of speaking-German nuns from East European Catholic . They are ruled by a stiff Superior Mother called Mary (Lilia Skala) and she thinks Smith has been sent by Christ for the building their church . They'll develop a likable friendship , helping the unfortunate nuns and creating a particular divine mission until the touching ending .

It's a fascinating , quiet film , perfectly acted and concerning the narration about the construction a church of riveting manner . Gentle , sympathetic Poitier and the strict Superior nun confront wills each other , but finally learn the meaning of the power of God and ultimately come to respect themselves . The storyline by James Poe relies heavily on the continued relationship among them but it isn't tiring ; being entertained and with numerous diverting moments and agreeable feeling . Enjoyable comedy and laughters are continuous ; the chuckles are based on diverse characters and differences among protagonists , he's Protestant , nuns are Catholics . Biggest of the film are the musical duets between Poitier and the nuns . The movie is well set with nice rural scenarios and is't eventually hampered by racist stereotypes on the black men , neither Mexican people . The story is narrated with sensitivity and intelligence and are treated religious and ethic issues with great sense of fairness and ductility . Ideal cast completed with magnificent actors . Sidney Poitier won a well deserved Oscar . He was the second African-American to win an Academy Award , before won Hattie McDaniel and later will achieve it famous actors as Cuba Gooding , Denzel Washington and Halle Berry . Glamorous and sensational cinematography by Ernest Haller . Moving and phenomenal score by the great Jerry Goldsmith and beautiful blues-songs by Poitier . The motion picture was driven with enormous fair play by director Ralph Nelson (Blue soldier) who followed this with a television movie . This is a wholesome and politically correct family fare . Indispensable seeing for Poitier fans.

The film that until 2001 sported the only African-American Best Actor or Actress Oscar winner. Sidney Poitier (in an excellent Oscar-winning performance) stars as an unemployed handyman whose car breaks down in New Mexico. He is greeted by a group of German nuns led by Lilia Skala (Oscar-nominated). The nuns are in desperate need of a church and it just seems that Poitier is not going to be able to shake Skala and the various duties she imposes on him. A really great film that works due to Poitier more than anything else. He carried what could have been a disappointing production into cinematic history. Arguably the best film of 1963, "Lilies of the Field" continues to be a funny, dramatic and heart-warming film nearly 40 years after its initial release. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Homer Smith (Sidney Poitier) stops at a convent in the Arizona desert to get some water for his car on his way to the west coast and find some work. Mother Maria (Lilia Skala) leads four other Germanic Catholic nuns. They think he's been sent by God. With low funds, he decides to work a day for money. She sends him up to fix the roof. He does two days' work but when he tries to get paid, Mother Maria quotes the Bible, "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." The nuns have no money and Homer is convinced to do more work. Eventually, he builds a chapel for the nuns and their poor Mexican migrant worshipers.

This is what faith-based movies should aim for. It is compelling. It is funny. Homer and Mother Maria are a funny comedy duo. At its core, this is powerful message of faith and goodness. Poitier wins the Oscar, the first competitive award for an African-American.

It took me over over 40 years before finally seeing this film, and I'm glad I finally did. It's simply a nice story: nothing super, but a feel-good film to use the cliché. This reminded of the kind of movie you would more likely see in the 1940s with the emphasis on human interest with a "religious" theme to it. I expected Father Flanagan to show up any minute.

Instead, we got a good Baptist man played by Sidney Poitier, who won an Oscar for this performance. Since he's just about the whole movie, and does a great job start-to-finish, who can argue with his award? This certainly doesn't have the feel of a 1960s film. It must have been one of the last of its kind, giving credence to Christianity and having a nice tone throughout. There have been very few like this since then.

Poitier is really the only "name" member of this cast and he's in every scene. If you enjoy his acting, and a good performance in general with a story that will bring some smiles to your face for an hour-and-a-half, this is recommended.