Lilies of the Field

film by Nelson [1963]

Written by Lee Pfeiffer

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Lilies of the Field, American film drama, released in 1963, that explores issues of faith and is especially noted for Sidney Poitier’s historic Academy Award win: he became the first African American to win an Oscar for best actor.

In the film, which was based on William E. Barrett’s novel of the same name, Poitier portrays Homer Smith, a wandering ex-GI who encounters an order of German nuns in Arizona. The nuns persuade him to perform odd jobs on their farm, and the tough-as-nails mother superior (played by Lilia Skala) eventually enlists his help in building a chapel. Despite several setbacks, he completes the chapel and in the process earns the respect and admiration of the nuns and the local townspeople.

Ironically, given the social significance of Lilies of the Field, Smith’s race is never brought up in the film. Poitier’s Academy Award win marked the first time a competitive Oscar had ever been awarded to an African American male. (James Baskett had received an honorary Academy Award in 1948 for his role as Uncle Remus in Song of the South [1946].) The role of the construction company owner who gives Smith a job was played by director/producer Ralph Nelson, who refused to take screen credit for his performance.