Review of Lilies Of The Field

Introduction

When an itinerant labourer stops off to get water for his overheated car at a small convent he gets more than he bargains for. Mother Superior Maria has been waiting for a sign from God because her faith tells her that He will send her a man to build the chapel she feels she has been sent to the desert to build.

Homer Smith doesn`t intend to stay and certainly feels he is not the Baptist to build a Catholic chapel but somehow the more people try to put him off the more compelling it becomes despite the bullishness of Mother Superior

Notable for starring a black actor in a lead role, Sidney Poitier had already made his mark in Blackboard Jungle eight years before and he went on to have a long distinguished career. Lilia Skala (Mother Superior) his leading lady for this film also had along career which included an appearance late in life in Flashdance. Skal received an Oscar nomination for Lilies.
Dan Fraser plays the local priest who lacks the faith of the sisters and Ralph Nelson who also directed appears in an uncredited role as the Boss of the local construction company.

Video

Made in black and white which signalled either as an art house movie or a cheap movie in 1963. The transfer is not bad with little marking on the film but the black and white does have a greenish tinge towards the top of the screen.

Audio

Notable for its religious music. Poitier leads the nuns (several times) in a chorus of Amen. I can confirm as was popular in those days he was dubbed by Jester Hairston who also wrote Amen for the film. He also wrote the Johnny Mathis hit Mary`s Boy Child. There are also some German hymns sung by the nuns.

Features

There is a basic chapter and language selection and subtitles in different languages.

Conclusion

I was prepared to be a little scornful of a religious film and thought it would be a chore to watch. I was pleasantly surprised by the film. It does not ram its message of faith home but leads the viewer gently down the path it constructs Catholic or not I was cheering on the chapel building and felt genuinely moved by the content. Although it preaches about faith it also preaches about the power of community and how one person starting something creates enough momentum to get other people involved until like a snowball rolling down a mountain all become swept up by the enthusiasm.

This is a good film if you are feeling al little gloomy and hard done by. It`s a basic transfer but has a great a feelgood atmosphere-Amen to that!