Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Lilies of the Field Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 8, 2016

Sidney Poitier got a brief but telling shout out by Chris Rock on the most recent Academy Awards broadcast. Rock, skewering the #OscarsSoWhite controversy from any number of angles, mentioned that this year certainly wasn’t the first time there had been a dearth if not an outright lack of black nominees, mentioning that back in the “olden times” of the 1950s and 1960s there must have been “black-less” years, especially if “Sidney hadn’t made a film that year” (or words to that effect). The ironic thing about this comment is that even an actor of Sidney Poitier’s magnitude only managed to receive a relatively paltry two Oscar nominations during this time period (and, in fact, up to the present day), one in 1958-59 for The Defiant Ones and one in 1963-64 for Lilies of the Field, which award junkies (and probably even the general public at large) will know won Poitier the statuette, making him the first African American man to be so fêted. Poitier was at that point only the second black actor to win an Academy Award in the entire history of the Oscars (the first of course was the wonderful Hattie McDaniel who took home a Best Supporting Actress trophy for Gone with the Wind ), and there would be no further black winners (in acting categories) until 1982, when Louis Gossett, Jr. won Best Supporting Actor for An Officer and a Gentleman. Lilies of the Field is an intentionally “quiet” film, an intimate drama built out of the interrelationships between an itinerant handyman named Homer Smith (Sidney Poitier) and a gaggle of nuns led by the imperious Mother Maria (Lilia Skala, Academy Award nominated for Best Supporting Actress for this performance). There’s really no traditional “conflict” in James Poe’s screenplay (adapted from a novel by William Edmund Barrett), other than the bantering between Smith and the good sisters. That actually turns out to be one of the film’s greatest strengths, though, for it allows the performers to fully explore characters that are unusually well developed and nuanced.

One indication of the intimacy with which Lilies of the Field spins its seemingly “minor” tale comes courtesy of the Great White Way in 1970, when not even the blandishments of songwriting icons Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn and Broadway legend Shirley Booth (as Mother Maria) could rescue a musicalized version of the property called Look to the Lilies. Some might ascribe this perhaps surprising failure to a general weariness of singing nuns by that point (after all, audiences had already had years of The Sound of Music, not to mention, well, The Singing Nun), but part of the failure of the piece certainly was due to the fact that the story simply didn’t offer enough razzle dazzle (so to speak) to support a traditional musical. This may seem especially odd given the fact that music does in fact play an important part in Lilies of the Field, but the storytelling in the film is intentionally “small” feeling, which doesn’t mean it isn’t incredibly heartfelt and meaningful.

The fact that Lilies of the Field has no problem establishing a secure tether to the emotions of the audience may be a little surprising given the fact that there is virtually no traditional “suspense” as to how the interactions between Homer and the gaggle of German nuns is going to play out. Homer arrives in the unusual location of a dry and dusty Arizona when his car breaks down, but that seeming vagary of chance is seen as Divine Providence by Mother Maria, who immediately puts Homer to work fixing things around what passes for the women’s “convent”. It’s apparent from virtually the get go that Maria has “plans” for Homer, and that Homer may in fact demur, if only initially, but that some kind of modern day miracle (at least in the perception of the sisters) will ultimately play out. And it’s really not that much of a spoiler to say that that’s indeed pretty much what happens in Lilies of the Field.

But it’s the disarming gentleness and geniuneness that Poe’s screenplay and director Ralph Nelson’s unobtrusive helming bring to the property, along with perfect performances, that gives Lilies of the Field its enduring power. There’s a joy in this film that’s almost palpable at times, as if the participants knew they were creating a very special story out of apparently flimsy building blocks. There’s a really heartfelt depiction of community in this film that is well nigh impossible not be touched by. Poitier’s unassuming elegance may be the focal point of Lilies of the Field, but he’s surrounded by a large and colorful supporting cast which brilliantly suffuses the film with authentic, earned (as opposed to manipulated) emotion.

Lilies of the Field Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Lilies of the Field is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. Culled from the MGM-UA catalog, this is one of the nicer looking catalog releases we've seen from the studio. Elements are in very good to excellent condition, with very little in the way of speckling or other age related phenomena. Contrast is solid, offering nice delineation especially between the many whitish tones that accrue around the desert setting (not to mention some of Poitier's own clothing choices). Gray scale is nicely modulated and blacks are solid and convincing in elements like the nuns' cowls. Grain looks natural and encounters no compression related anomalies. There is some slight but noticeable variability in sharpness and clarity, at least some of which seems to be related to outdoor location shooting environments and ostensibly more controlled environments (contrast the general look of screenshots 11 and 12 with several others accompanying this review). Close-ups offer nice levels of detail, and there are no issues with image instability.

Lilies of the Field Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Lilies of the Field's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track isn't especially nuanced, but it reflects the somewhat limited ambitions of the film's sound design more than adequately. The film's charming Jerry Goldsmith score is presented cleanly and clearly, and ambient environmental effects sound reasonably natural. Dialogue is very cleanly presented and is always well prioritized. There are no issues with damage, dropouts or distortion.

Lilies of the Field Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 3:19)


• MGM 90th Anniversary Trailer (1080p; 2:06)


• Isolated Score Track contains some effects and is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.


• Audio Commentary features Lem Dobbs hosted by Twilight Time's Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman.

Lilies of the Field Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Lem Dobbs mentions something along the lines of a supposed "saccharine" element in Lilies of the Field in the commentary included on this Blu-ray, but I find the film's emotions less artificially sweet than genuinely affecting and quite unabashedly heartfelt. This is an unapologetically "simple" story told with great affection and attention to character detail, bolstered by a refreshing lack of "style" (as in appended whiz bang effects) by director Ralph Nelson. The result is an unusually engaging film that has easily withstood the test of time. Technical merits are strong and Lilies of the Field comes Highly recommended.