Christmas Lilies of the Field

I just finished watching this film on our local UPN station. They stuck it on the schedule in the middle of a weeknight - 'filler', of course. We don't have (or want) cable or satellite TV, so I'm always happy to find something a little different - even if it is aired at 2:00 a.m.

What really kind of hooked me about this movie in the first few minutes was not Billy Dee Williams, but the actress who plays "Mother Maria." She's one of those women who have a seemingly effortless moral authority and strength. She also has mesmerizing green(?) eyes. (Ostensibly, Williams is supposed to be the main draw here - but I've always found him to be an actor of limited appeal. Very handsome, of course - but not a great talent.) She was totally believable in the role of a head nun who is committed to providing a home for a bunch of abandoned and neglected kids.

The southwest location is a nice change from the stereotypical snowy Christmas-movie locations.

I also liked the multi-ethnic cast, although the character of the black social worker was a gratuitous, obvious (and highly unlikely, given the setting) romantic interest for Billy Dee.

The movie's low-key, matter-of-fact atmosphere makes for a realistic portrayal of everyday struggles. No supernatural miracles here - just a bunch of people trying to better the lives of unwanted kids.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this quiet little gem. Especially at this time of the year, when I've seen the same holiday films over and over again. Like "A Christmas Story", I'll add this to my roster of under-rated and 'forgotten' holiday movies.

If you run across "Christmas Lillies of the Field" on some lower-rung channel in the middle of the night (like I did) - give it a chance. It's a charming, heartwarming little film that really grows on you.

Christmas Lilies of the Field (1979) is a movie I recently watched for the first time on Tubi. The storyline follows a handyman that once worked for a covenant of Nuns who focused on helping orphaned children by educating them. When he returns to see how they're doing he discovers they need a new school and the government is trying to shut them down. He will need to decide if he wants to drop everything and help them build a new school as well as thwart the government's attempts to take their orphanage.

This movie is directed by Ralph Nelson (Once a Thief) and stars Billy Dee Williams (Star Wars), Maria Schell (Superman), Fay Hauser (Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh), Hanna Landy (Rosemary's Baby) and Bob Hastings (McHale's Navy).

It was really fun to see Billy Dee Williams in this picture. He delivered a great performance. The storyline is unique and was fun to watch unfold and the songs throughout the picture were well done and fairly clever in terms of how they were tied into the scene. This movie contains really good characters throughout that are easy to root for. Even the children deliver great performances. The movie has a triumphant conclusion that makes you smile and appreciate the journey.

Overall this is a fun, heartfelt film that is is definitely worth a viewing. I would score this a 6.5/10 and recommend seeing it once.

Loved this movie, saw it in 1979 on TV and have caught it once since then, how can I get a station to play it? I was already a Billy Dee Williams fan so I was already intending to watch it. I had seen the 1963 version with Sidney Poitier and loved it also. I believe it was arguably was the Best Movie of the year in 1963. I have Googled "Ralph Nelson" to find the movie, but with no results. Mr Nelson died in 1987 and because this was a made for TV movie, the tapes have somehow disappeared.I am looking now online for some web address who sells old made for TV tapes. I will try to locate more information on the director.

I grew up watching this movie every year at Christmas, without fail, since my mother found it at a local independent video bar, and bought it for three dollars, and so I am probably more than a little biased. However, I think this is a really sincere and heartwarming movie. The color is a little extraneous at times, especially in the face of the original Sidney Poitier version, but I don't think it takes away much in the grand scheme of things. The story is simple, like the original, and the actors play it out just as simply (although "Question Lady" does have a little bit of indulging going on sometimes). Again, the Southwest U.S. setting makes for a visually beautiful film, and the multiracial cast enhances it. This movie might be seen as trite and insipid, but I think it's a classic that has never been fully appreciated for its value, sentimental and otherwise.

While I enjoyed this film, I feel that there were a couple of problems with it.

The first is that it was shot in color. Having seen the original Lilies of the Field in black & white, there was a certain "feeling" about seeing it in b/w, and somehow seeing the sequel in color just didn't do it for me.

The second is with the role of Homer Smith. While I had no problem with Billy Dee Williams playing the role, I have a big problem with him mimicking the voice inflections, hand motions, and movments of Sidney Poitier. I felt that it was too contrived.

Sidney Poitier was the perfect actor in the original Lillies of the Field back in '63, he has certain mannerisms and vocal inflections that make him who he is.