Product: Lilies of the Field [VHS] (1963)
Rating: 5.0
Compelling story and heartwarming message
While ill several weeks ago, this film aired on a local station. It was Sidney Poitier, and in black and white, so I thought I'd give it a shot! I haven't sat still to watch a movie aired on TV in ages! This is another one of those great movies from an era gone too soon, that allows us to piece together an opinion of what's happening instead of telling us what to think! I just love the interaction between Smith and the main nun/missionary; he's adamant he won't do a certain thing, only to be compelled by her monotone stubbornness.The scene in which he gives them an English lesson was one of the finest examples of characters playing off one another. The nuns/missionaries and Smith couldn't have possibly been more different, but here he was teaching them, and they caught on rather quickly!Today, storytelling like this is limited to the so-called Oscar season, and often wasted on films with great concepts but incredibly horrible promotion (not saying the English Patient would've topped the box office, but you get my point). It is my endeavour to get my children exposed to classic films early, since today's modern films are high on flash, but often lacking in substance (you know that sinking feeling you get when you re-watch a modern movie, only to realize you only like maybe 20 minutes of the film).