lilies of the field

Earning star Sidney Poitier a Best Actor Oscar in 1964 (the only African American man to win until Denzel Washington 38 years later), Lilies of the Field (1963) gave the actor one of the few roles in which he didn't have to carry the weight of America's race relations on his shoulders. As Homer Smith, a drifter just looking to make a quick buck who winds up helping a gaggle of nuns build a chapel in the middle of the Arizona desert, Poitier is allowed to play a character rather than an archetype...and to deliver a performance rather than a message.

Shepherded by producer / director Ralph Nelson, hot off a string of TV successes including Requiem for a Heavyweight, the film is brilliant in its simplicity, disguising its ambitions with a small-screen sense of cinematic scale (almost all the action takes place in two locations) that pleasantly pushes personalities to the foreground. And though the plot centers on religion, Nelson deftly delivers his sermon through actions rather than words.

Homer Smith's chance arrival is hailed as a miracle by Mother Maria (Lila Skala) whose prayers for a "big, strong man" to help restore their decrepit farm back into working order seem to have been answered. And initially, Homer is only too happy to work out a deal. But it quickly becomes obvious that the nuns, all Germans whose English-speaking abilities are limited to what they picked up from lessons on an old phonograph, are even more financially destitute than he is!

But Mother Maria's firm insistence that it's all part of God's plan keeps Homer performing odd jobs, even agreeing to drive the group to Sunday mass at a ramshackle trailer by the side of the road. The situation become even more complicated when he poses as a contractor and agrees to construct a new chapel; becoming the de facto architect in residence...minus the compensation.

Homer's initially playful approach to the situation disguises a much deeper spiritual discontent than he - or the audience - suspects. And the fact that Lilies of the Field takes the long way to this epiphany only makes the journey that much more enjoyable. Nelson makes room for unanswered questions (Homer's escape and eventual return to the fold with the addition of an ugly black eye could blamed on racial bigotry or his own questionable lifestyle) and an optimistic sense of community that would make John Ford proud. And it's all put together with an eye for the cinematic that belies the quick 14-day shooting schedule. Case in point, the film's signature scene that finds Homer begrudgingly accepting the help of his fellow workers and relinquishing control (insert your own spiritual lesson here) cut together with nary a moment of peachiness.

While it doesn't ignore Poitier's race, Lilies of the Field is unconcerned with his status as America's only "legitimized" black actor. It's simply telling a story with the best tools at its disposal; a much more admirable goal for "equal rights" in Hollywood at any rate. A point brought up in the commentary for Twilight Time's 3000-copy limited edition Blu-ray, featuring in-house film historians Lem Dobbs, Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman. The black-and-white transfer looks lovely though a tad more grainy than usual; perhaps a consequence of Nelson's choice of film stock. Additional extras include the original theatrical trailer and an isolated track of Jerry Goldsmith's score.