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Lilies of the Field
MGM (Video & DVD) Product Details |
Amazon.com essential video
Sidney Poitier won an Oscar for this endearing movie about a handyman who thinks he's just passing through a little town in New Mexico, and ends up staying awhile to build a chapel for a cluster of German-speaking nuns. The renowned actor is highly entertaining in his combative exchanges with Lilia Skala, playing a Mother Superior who survived Hitler and makes no bones about bullying the goodhearted, itinerant worker into doing more and more for her. The film has an ambling, easygoing style with several memorable moments, not least of all is Poitier leading his holy hostesses through verses of the gospel song "Amen." Lilies is directed by the late Ralph Nelson, a pioneering director of live television who also made a number of popular feature films with notable performances (Jackie Gleason in Requiem for a Heavyweight, Cary Grant in Father Goose, Cliff Robertson in Charly) in the 1960s and 1970s. --Tom Keogh
Description
Featuring an Academy AwardÂ(r)-winning performance by Poitier*, and nominated** for four additional OscarsÂ(r), including Best Picture, Lilies of the Field is a funny, sentimental, charming and uplifting film (The Hollywood Reporter). Homer Smith (Sidney Poitier), an itinerant handyman, is driving through the Arizona desert when he meets five impoverished nuns. Stopping to fix their leaky farmhouse roof, Homer discovers that not only will the Mother Superior not pay him for the job, but she also wants him to build their chapelfor free! Hesitant at first, Homer soon finds himself single-handedly raising the chapel and the financing. 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. *1963: Actor **1963: Supporting Actress (Skala), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography (B&W)
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Lilies of the Field
- DVD: 0 pages (2001-03-06)
- Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
- Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
- Starring: Stanley Adams, Pamela Branch, Isa Crino, Dan Frazer, Francesca Jarvis
- Encoding: Region 1
- Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
- Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1,
- Rated: NR (Not Rated)
- Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
- DVD Release Date: 2001-03-06
- Run Time: 95
- ISBN: 0792849191
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 81 reviews
- Sales Rank in DVD: #3689
Avg. Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Charming, Touching Movie 2008-08-24
Comment: This is one of my favorite films of all time, and I think the whole cast does a wonderful job of carrying the movie. It is the story of a group of German speaking nuns who need a miracle in order to build a church in a poor, desert town. The miracle comes in the form of an itinerant jack of all trades played by Poitier, whose faith is a little shabby around the edges. There is a lot of humor as the Mother Superior resorts to a little manipulation in order to see the church completed. Both Scala's character and Poitier's learn that they both needed to rely more on faith, and less on their own power. This is a movie for the whole family I think. It does deal with some issues on prejudice, and Poitier's character gets drunk at one point, but the Mother Superior sees that he does not enjoy the latter experience much. As for the way it dealt with prejudice, I thought it was well done for the time.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Not my favorite Poitier film 2008-08-13
Comment: I think the point of this film is about faith. Everyone likes a good miracle movie. Right? Well, not quite. There was plenty of cringe worthy moments regarding race. Mr. Ashton calling Homer 'boy' and then telling the nuns that Smith was lazy and shiftless-but still wanted him to work for him. (Weird.) I hated the scenes where he was just shuffling to please them. And I didn't understand why Mother Maria simply couldn't say 'Thank You' especially when she was begging for everything. Out of all the good roles Poitier has played, they give him the Oscar for when he played a good field slave doing what he was told. Whatever.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Classic Movie, Sidney Poitier 2008-07-28
Comment: This DVD arrived in a timely fashion. Sidney Poitier is an all time favorite actor of mine;I will enjoy having this DVD in my collection.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Classic movie 2008-06-12
Comment: Love this movie! Ever since I was a child--it talks of behavior, faith, work ethic, community and society. Would have loved some extras, though. Like an interview with Mr. Poitier on his memories in making the movie
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Classic 2008-06-07
Comment: This is one of those movies every movie buff should see at least once. This is a feel good movie to watch when you feel life is being too tough on you. I always liked this movie, but it is surprisingly realistic since I met Helga, a 79yo Berliner visiting the States. Mother Superior is NO caricature, they really do come that way.
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