Lilies of the Field

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.

If someone were to ask me for the 'perfect' movie, this is the one I would choose. Not 'greatest', not 'best', but something better... an utterly flawless film. It's lean and spare, set in the desert and filmed in B&W. Both the humor and the drama are low-key, but are all the more moving for that, presented without clutter. It uses a small cast to create a rich diversity of characters from different religions, races, and cultures. But these differences aren't what creates the drama, they are simply a wonderful part of the background texture. The conflict lies purely in the clash of personalities between two good people, Homer Smith (Sidney Poitier) and Mother Maria (Lilia Skala), both with their own personal flaws and virtues.

I really can't begin to describe how much I like "Lilies of the Field". It could have been one of those awful preachy 'message' films, but it isn't. It is purely fine story telling. Which isn't to say you can't find meaning in it. Far from it. For me, I've always been taken by how the common human goodness of all the characters is brought out without being dependent on, or sacrificing, their many differences of religion or culture. They remain the same people at the end of the movie as at the beginning, except they're all a bit better, a bit less flawed. And that's pretty close to perfection.

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.

Sidney Poitier won the best actor Oscar for this film and he deserved it playing a traveling handyman who is drafted by a flock of German nuns to build a church out in the deserted Southwest. He is a cynical man with a great singing voice and it is put is put to good use several times. This is a change of pace for me as I usually watch violent fare of the Tarantino style. We all need a pleasant change of pace once and a while.

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.