Search - Lilies of the Field on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Suitable for Children Movie Release: 1963 DVD Release: 03/06/2001 Format: DVD - Black and White,Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 35 mins Studio: MGM Members Wishing: 20 Genres: Drama, Religious Drama

Sidney Poitier plays Homer Smith, an aimless ex-GI who takes a temporary handyman job at a Southwestern farm maintained by five German nuns. It is the cherished dream of the Mother Superior (Lilia Skala) to build a chapel (or, as she says, a "shapel"). She is convinced that the personable Homer has been sent from Above to help her realize her dream. He protests loudly and rudely, but she will not be dissuaded. How Homer accomplishes her goal, endears himself to the surrounding townsfolk, and avoids an arrest for a previous crime, comprises the heart of Lilies of the Field. The film, adapted by James Poe from a novel by William E. Barrett, was later remade for television, and it won Poitier an Academy Award for Best Actor, the first time that award was given to an African-American. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sidney Poitier - Homer Smith
Lilia Skala - Mother Maria
Lisa Mann - Sister Gertrude
Stanley Adams - Juan
Isa Crino - Sister Agnes
Dan Frazer - Father Murphy
Francesca Jarvis - Sister Albertine

Lilies of the Field features one of the best black-and-white DVD transfers of recent years. The images are bright and clear, with an excellent level of sharpness. The transfer comes in the 1.66:1 nonanamorphic widescreen format, and it helps to accentuate the power of this story. Even the nicer black-and-white discs usually contain a significant amount of dirt and slight blemishes on the print. Virtually no defects exist on this transfer throughout the entire running time. Despite being nonanamorphic, MGM deserves some recognition for giving this enjoyable film a fine digital treatment.
Dialogue covers much of this story, but a few moments do utilize more elements of the audio transfer. The best scenes involve the singing interludes with Homer and the nuns. Even within the limits of the mono track, their harmonized voices sound excellent. While the audio obviously remains fairly centralized, it once again improves over many of the transfers from this time period.
This bare-bones release from MGM includes the theatrical trailer as the lone extra on the disc. ~ Dan Heaton, All Movie Guide