Jump to content

Lilies of the Field (1963 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lilies of the Field
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRalph Nelson
Screenplay byJames Poe
Based onThe Lilies of the Field
by William Edmund Barrett
Produced byRalph Nelson
StarringSidney Poitier
Lilia Skala
Stanley Adams
CinematographyErnest Haller
Edited byJohn McCafferty
Music byJerry Goldsmith
Production
company
Rainbow Productions
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release dates
[1]
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish German
Budget$240,000[2]–247,000[3]
Box office$3 million (rentals)[2] or $7 million[3]

Lilies of the Field is a 1963 American comedy-drama film directed and produced by Ralph Nelson, adapted by James Poe from William Edmund Barrett’s 1962 novel of the same name. Starring Sidney Poitier, Lilia Skala, Stanley Adams, and Dan Frazer, the film takes its title from the Bible’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:27–33 and Luke 12:27–31). The story follows Homer Smith, an itinerant handyman, who encounters a group of East German nuns in the Arizona desert. Led by the determined Mother Maria Marthe, the nuns believe Homer has been sent by God to build them a chapel.

Praised by critics, the film earned five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Skala. Poitier won the Academy Award for Best Actor, becoming the first Black actor to win in a leading role and the second Black actor overall to receive an Oscar after Hattie McDaniel. The film also features an early score by Jerry Goldsmith.[4] In 2020, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

The film was turned into a Broadway musical in 1970, Look to the Lilies, with Shirley Booth starring as Mother Maria Marthe.

Plot

[edit]

Homer Smith, a drifting handyman, stops at a remote Arizona farm seeking water for his car. He encounters a group of Eastern European nuns—led by the stern Mother Maria Marthe—struggling to maintain their modest desert homestead. Though initially resistant, Homer agrees to repair their roof in exchange for payment. The nuns, who speak little English, humorously dub him “Schmidt” (the German equivalent of Smith) and invite him to stay for meals, slowly endearing themselves to him.

When Homer demands payment, Mother Maria deflects by quoting the Bible’s Sermon on the Mount (“Consider the lilies of the field…”), urging faith over materialism. Homer counters with Luke 10:7 (“The laborer is worthy of his hire”), but her resolve remains unshaken. Through interactions with locals, including Juan, a café owner, and a traveling priest, Homer learns of the nuns’ harrowing escape from behind the Iron Curtain and their impoverished existence. Despite their inability to pay, he begrudgingly prolongs his stay, lured by the challenge of building a chapel for the nearby Mexican American community, whose nearest church is miles away.

Homer’s initial reluctance gives way to ambition when he confesses his unrealized dream of becoming an architect. Using donated materials and his dwindling savings, he begins constructing the chapel single-handedly, insisting on perfection. Tensions flare with Mother Maria, who prioritizes pragmatism over his ideals, leading Homer to abandon the project temporarily. He returns hungover but remorseful, finding renewed purpose as the community gradually rallies to assist. Locals donate supplies and labor, transforming Homer’s solitary endeavor into a collective effort, though he initially resists their involvement.

As construction progresses, Homer’s leadership earns respect, even from Ashton, a dismissive contractor who later offers him a job. The chapel’s completion culminates in a bittersweet victory: Homer secretly signs his work, symbolizing pride and humility. On the eve of the dedication, Mother Maria subtly implores him to stay, but Homer, aware their partnership has reached its natural end, departs quietly at nightfall. The nuns’ echoing rendition of “Amen”—a hymn they learned from him—underscores their unspoken gratitude as he drives away.

The film closes with “Amen” in lieu of “The End.”

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

The movie was filmed on the northern edge (near Sabino Canyon and Cloud Road)[5] of Tucson. The church doors were borrowed from the Chapel in Sasabe, Arizona and were carved by local Tucson artist Charles Bolsius.

Jester Hairston, who wrote the gospel arrangement of Amen used in the film and who arranged the vocal parts, dubbed the vocals for Poitier, who was tone-deaf.

Release

[edit]

The film was screened in competition at the 1963 Berlin Film Festival in June 1963. It opened October 3, 1963 at the Murray Hill Theater in New York City.[1]

Reception

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 24 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8/10.[6] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 68 out of 100, based on nine critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Variety said it was a film "loaded with charm and which is full of good, clean, honest fun."[7]

Accolades

[edit]
Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Academy Awards Best Picture Ralph Nelson Nominated [8]
[9]
Best Actor Sidney Poitier Won
Best Supporting Actress Lilia Skala Nominated
Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium James Poe Nominated
Best Cinematography – Black-and-White Ernest Haller Nominated
Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear Ralph Nelson Nominated [10]
Interfilm Award Won
OCIC Award Won
Youth Film Award – Honorable Mention Won
Best Actor Sidney Poitier Won
Blue Ribbon Awards Best Foreign Language Film Ralph Nelson Won
British Academy Film Awards Best Foreign Actor Sidney Poitier Nominated [11]
United Nations Award Nominated
Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures Ralph Nelson Nominated [12]
Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Drama Nominated [13]
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Sidney Poitier Won
Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Lilia Skala Nominated
Best Film Promoting International Understanding Won
Laurel Awards Top General Entertainment Won
Top Male Dramatic Performance Sidney Poitier Nominated
Top Female Supporting Performance Lilia Skala Nominated
National Board of Review Awards Top Ten Films 2nd Place [14]
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actor Sidney Poitier Nominated
Writers Guild of America Awards Best Written American Comedy James Poe Won [15]

Sidney Poitier became the first African-American actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor and the second African-American Oscar winner overall (after Hattie McDaniel won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Gone with the Wind in 1939).[16][a]

Also, the film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

Sequel

[edit]

The sequel Christmas Lilies of the Field was made in 1979 for television in which Homer Smith (now played by Billy Dee Williams), returns and is "persuaded” to build a kindergarten for a group of orphans and runaways whom the sisters have taken in.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

Informational notes

[edit]
  1. ^ James Baskett won an Honorary Academy Award for Song of the South (1946); it was not competitive.

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Lilies of the Field at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  2. ^ a b Sshumach, Murray (February 9, 1964). "Hollywood Trick: Or, How To Turn Cheap 'Lilies' Into Gold". The New York Times. p. X9.
  3. ^ a b Warga, Wayne. A Blue-Ribbon Packager of Movie Deals. Los Angeles Times April 20, 1969: p. w1.
  4. ^ Clemmensen, Christian. Jerry Goldsmith (1929–2004) tribute at Filmtracks.com. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
  5. ^ Simpson, Corky (September 12, 2013). "Tucson, Poitier scored with 'Lilies of the Field'". Tucson Citizen. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  6. ^ "Lilies of the Field". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 3, 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  7. ^ Myro. (July 3, 1963). "Film Reviews: Lilies of the Field". Variety. p. 6.
  8. ^ "The 36th Academy Awards (1964) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. October 5, 2014. Archived from the original on May 2, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  9. ^ "Lilies of the Field". IMDb.
  10. ^ "Berlinale 1963: Prize Winners". Berlin International Film Festival. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  11. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1965". British Academy Film Awards. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  12. ^ "16th Annual DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  13. ^ "Lilies of the Field". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  14. ^ "1963 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  15. ^ "Awards Winners". Writers Guild of America Awards. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  16. ^ "Sidney Poitier". IMDb.
  17. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains Nominees" (PDF). AFI. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  18. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers" (PDF). American Film Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 13, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lilies_of_the_Field_(1963_film)&oldid=1274643322"