Lilies of the Field

Lilies of the Field, along with Father Goose, Heaven Can Wait, Rent-A-Kid and The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, was a pretty important part of my childhood--it was one of the limited number of movies that the library had and we were allowed to watch. And watch it we did--over and over.

This is a charming film about the answer to prayer of some German nuns who don't really speak English: a Baptist man, Homer Smith (Sidney Poitier).

The nuns are pretty persistent (to put it mildly) and manage to get their way in most things. They convince Smith that God sent him to them to build them a chapel so that they don't have to meet outside. In the process, Smith loosens the Mother up, and they both bridge (and appreciate) the immense gaps of language and culture between them (Smith teaches the nuns English and some spirituals [the music in the film is great]).


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