Product: Lilies of the Field [VHS] (1963)
Rating: 5.0
perfection
One of only a handful of perfect movies. Sidney Poitier as Homer Smith gives a life-sustaining performance that will last forever. Director Ralph Nelson's vision brings to mind O'Keeffe's paintings and Martha Graham's ecstatic American ballets, so beautifully directed is this piece. Every inch of film pays homage to the great American desert. A constant visual starkness makes the rich, inviting heart of the film only riper and wiser than it otherwise would be. Frame by frame, with prodigal ease, Lilies of the Field offers nothing less than the full blown promise of everything American cinema could have become since 1963, but which, with few exceptions, failed to materialize, corporate fantasies supplanting cinematic art. The notable lineage of the great independent films can be traced to this one masterpiece, and to this day every actor can only raise his or her own art by watching Poitier incarnate Homer Smith with a jewelsmith's love and attention that can unstop your heart. You can watch this movie a hundred times and be only glad. Its hope is ineradicable, and its truth unnegotiable. You need to own a copy. DVD transfer quality is exceptional throughout.