HotToastyRag
After losing the Academy Award for The Defiant Ones and not even being nominated for A Raisin in the Sun, Sidney Poitier finally took home the gold for Lilies of the Field. When you watch the film, it seems absurd that such a fine actor would win for such a silly performance. And as historic as his win was, it bears consideration why the Academy chose this particular film in which to award their first Best Actor award to a black actor. In the film, he plays a handyman who helps a group of nuns build a chapel. There's no love interest, no scene in which he proves himself amidst rampant racism, and no intense emoting that would even warrant a nomination. He's bossed around by a bunch of old, white biddies, serves God even when he initially doesn't want to, is valued for his back-breaking work rather than his intellect, and spends his free evenings singing "Amen" with the sisters. Does it really sound like the Academy made a racial breakthrough? Some might think the Academy knew it would have to cross the barrier sooner or later and chose to honor a role that would remind other black actors to "keep their place". Hattie McDaniel's win for Gone with the Wind placed her in the history books as a "sassy Mammy"; the Academy could have broken the barrier five years earlier and given an Oscar to Louise Beavers in Imitation of Life, but that was a meaty, emotional role. An African-American woman didn't win another Oscar until 1991, when Whoopi Goldberg was ignored for her serious role in The Color Purple and rewarded for her kooky role in Ghost.If you thought my soap-box rant was a little too paranoid and you like watching Sidney Poitier movies, by all means rent Lilies of the Field. If the above paragraph intrigued you, watch the preview instead. You'll get the gist and you'll save yourself ninety minutes.
ofpsmith
Lilies of the Field is a great movie. Homer Smith (Sidney Poitier) is a traveling handyman who while passing through New Mexico he builds a church for a group of German nuns under the strict Mother Maria (Lilia Skala). Along the way Homer begins to help the nuns learn English and he comes connected to the townspeople. The church is a symbol of hope for the nuns and the townsfolk alike and it's really all about Homer's relationship with the nuns and the townsfolk. The best parts of the film in my opinion are when Homer teaches the nuns English. This movie is just happy and leaves you with a good feeling. While watching you want to forget all the ugly things in life and focus only on the good. Problems in this movie arise of course, like the scene where Homer almost leaves, but those are all resolved. I highly recommend Lilies of the Field. It just leaves you singing "Amen."
amour88
Lilies of the Field was such a treat to watch! It was a very basic plot but such a great movie. These characters are real,they act like you expect actual people to act. None of them are saints and that's one of the things I really enjoyed about this movie. It's a really heartwarming film,one you could watch over and over again and not get bored by it. There are people from all sorts of different cultures in this film all working together to build the chapel. There is no "bad guy" there are just people who see things differently but also come to understand each other. While faith is a big part of the movie it's never preachy and as such can be enjoyed by people no matter their faith.
kinzer55
Beautiful movie with such clever overtones. There is an art about this movie you don't see anymore in the ham-fisted movies of today. Thoroughly enjoyable. Pointer and the Mother Superior actress turn in excellent performances for which Pointer won an Oscar. Well deserved, but I thought the Mother Superior actress deserved one too. The supporting roles of nuns, a restaurant owner and tired priest are very well done. Touches of humor are balanced with earnestness in the script. The story is simple: a group of 6 nuns has traveled to America to build a chapel in the barren West. They have little but a tract of land, a ruin, a "motherhouse" and faith, but it all works.
AD
