Lilies of the Field
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 Revisit the past with "Lilies of the Field" Nice story about a traveling handyman who is befriended by some German-speaking nuns. My favorite scene shows Sidney Poitier teaching the Nuns the spiritual "Amen."  Lilies of the Field Ralph Nelson's crowd-pleasing "Lillies" was a gentle, charming change-of-pace for Poitier, whose itinerant jack-of-all-trades Homer learns something about human charity and the power of God's will, as exercised through His most faithful followers. Sidney's heartfelt performance went over very well with the Academy, too: he became the first black actor ever to win the Best Actor Oscar for his stirring portrayal of Homer. A-men! This is a classic film. I saw it new, in the theater, when I was a kid, but unlike most movies of the same time period (late 50s, early 60s) it is not dated at all. FINALLY, finally, finally, it is available for home viewing. If you are too young to be familiar with this film, consider the following points: This movie is the defining moment of Sidney Poitier's long and distinguished career. I would say it is the film that made Poitier famous, although some might disagree with me. American popular culture usually does a really bad and dishonest job of dealing with religious issues, but this movie is an exception. It has as much integrity as Huckleberry Finn deciding to go to hell instead of betraying his friend Jim. This movie is much more light-hearted than Mark Twain, but they share an accurate view of the way people really approach religion in their personal lives. Juan has paid his insurance, Senor! Last but not least, even if you are too young to have seen this movie -- even if you have never even heard of it -- you have sung the theme song at summer camp. Sing along and enjoy! A true classic! This is one of the most heartwarming films I've ever seen and Sidney Poitier is a master of this sort of genre. This film belongs in everyones movie library if not for the great storyline, at least for the toe-tapping rendition of "Amen" sung by Sidney and accompanied by a group of German nuns who couldn't understand a word he was saying. Hilarious! | |||||||||||||
