It's all about differences and eventual harmony - From the goodness in others to the humility. Now that he has grandchildren and great-grandchildren, he wanted to show it to them too and hope that they enjoyed it as much as my brothers and sisters did. The film is based on the novel by William E. They believe he has been sent to them by God to build them a new chapel in the desert. Growing up in a diverse community and family, I saw my world reflected in this touching tale - So many life lessons in this film! Too bad movies aren't made like that anymore.
I'd known when I saw them in Denzel's movies that they reminded me of something or someone, but couldn't put my finger on what the something or who the someone was until I watched this movie again recently. I especially recommend this for anyone who enjoyed Poitier's performance in To Sir With Love. Films like Lilies of the Field are hardly being made anymore. Soon he is caught up in the nuns' expectations while at the same time, perhaps finding his own sense of purpose in their chapel. An unemployed construction worker Homer Smith heading out west stops at a remote farm in the desert to get water when his car overheats. Gather your family and friends together and make a movie night with this as the highlight. Despite the critical opinions of outsiders as well as misunderstandings between the main characters along the way, each comes to respect the other and also effect changes in the thinking of those around them.
Poitier plays Homer Smith, a handyman living out of his car and traveling the country looking for work. The entire cast is excellent. He somehow finds himself building them a chapel and giving them language lessons in English. But although hewill not receive a monetary reward, Homer knows that when his work is done, he'll leave that dusty desert town a much better place than when he found it. This is a great wholesome, family friendly movie. It was one in a series of films that would culminate to create a screen legend and an American icon that Sidney Poitier is regarded as today.
By the end of the film, all who are involved have changed for the better. He reluctantly agrees, and soon finds himself butting heads with the stubborn and somewhat distant Mother Superior Lilla Skala. Black and White, Protestant and Catholic - It is a beautiful and gently humorous tale that should be mandatory for all humans to watch. How to maintain a sense of self when part of a group of people that may look different. The farm is being worked by a group of East European Catholic nuns, headed by the strict Mother Maria, who believes that Homer has been sent by God to build a much-needed church in the desert. An unemployed construction worker Homer Smith heading out west stops at a remote farm in the desert to get water when his car overheats. Unemployed construction worker Homer Smith Sidney Poitier is traveling throughout the American Southwest, living in his battered station wagon.
It is a nuanced and sophisticated performance delivered by Poitier between him and the ensemble of nuns headed by Lilia Skala. Smith, a Baptist, is hired by a group of German nuns who have fled Communist Berlin and taken refuge in the United States. The film itself is a testament to its theme: Believe and dream, and the means will come. Humorous clash occurs between traditional nuns and Baptist working man. Very well acted by Mr. Lilies of the Field is an Academy Award winning film that was released by United Artist in 1963. They are rare gems in a sea of inflated budgets and action driven escapades.
Barrett, was later remade for television, and it won Poitier an Academy Award for Best Actor, the first time that award was given to an African-American. . It was also nominated for four other Academy Awards including Best Picture. After temporarily quitting the project, Smith returns and rallies the entire community around the new chapel. One can only conjecture how much a name like Lilia influenced the decision to cast her. A real treat to watch again and again and at such a cheap price well worth owning. He performs some menial jobs for the Sisters, who soon beg him to help them construct a Catholic chapel in the area.
Homer gets pulled in by the nun's plight, and is soon doing a larger construction job for them. Homer Smith, an unemployed construction worker heading out west, stops at a remote farm in the desert to get water when his car overheats. How Homer accomplishes her goal, endears himself to the surrounding townsfolk, and avoids an arrest for a previous crime, comprises the heart of Lilies of the Field. The film begins a bit more slowly than most modern movies, which are designed with the cellphone generation and their short attention spans in mind. Sidney Poitier won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in this film. He protests loudly and rudely, but she will not be dissuaded.
Now he must collect money and construction materials if he wants to finish what he began. From these modest and nearly quelled beginnings sprang the stuff of legends. Such massive studio efforts are to be lauded and applauded, but balancing the cinematic mix with a simple tale well told is always a welcomed respite. Sidney Poitier, the film's lead, won the Oscar for Best Actor, a historical moment in American cinema, for he was the first African American man to be bestowed this honor. The farm is being worked by a group of East European Catholic nuns, headed by the strict mother superior Mother Maria , who believes that Homer has been sent by God to build a much needed church in the desert. The farm is being worked by a group of East European Catholic nuns, headed by the strict mother superior Mother Maria , who believes that Homer has been sent by God to build a much needed church in the desert. It's an uplifting story of faith and the power of belief not only in God, but in our fellow man.