Lilies of the Field

Sidney Poitier--who would later star in such unforgettable films as TO SIR, WITH LOVE; GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER and IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT--won an Academy Award for best actor for his standout performance in this modest, beautiful 1963 film. LILIES OF THE FIELD is directed tenderly and with restraint by Ralph Nelson from a light-handed yet deeply effective screenplay by James Poe, based on a novel by William E. Barrett. Poitier plays the role of Homer Smith, a journeyman laborer, who is roaming the countryside, drifting and working. One day he stops at a farm and meets up with five nuns. Lilia Skala is formidable and endearing as Mother Maria, the highest-ranking sister, who is convinced that God has answered her prayers and sent Homer to fix the roof. Staying and working in the peaceful calm of the Arizona desert, Homer learns more from the nuns than he ever could have anticipated.