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Christmas Lilies of the Field

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Many years have passed since nomadic handyman Homer (Billy Dee Williams) helped to build a chapel for a group of nuns back home, but when he returns, it's as if he never left. Head nun Maria (Rachel Ward) is still a formidable force and wastes no time in insisting that Homer now build a bell tower and an orphanage since, by her reckoning, he didn't finish the chapel -- not completely. So, with the help of the nuns and the gorgeous Janet Owens (Maria Schell), Homer makes a difference once again.

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Christmas Lilies of the Field

Audience Reviews

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Forrest M @RT32281296 Apr 7 "Christmas Lilies of the Field" is a sequel of the Sidney Poitier and Maria Skala-starrer 1963 film "Lilies of the Field". The TV movie tells the story of how handyman Homer Smith helps the Catholic nuns into now building a kindergarten school and an orphanage after helping them build a chapel. It was updated during its time of release in 1979. We get to see themes on the story such as welfarism, single motherhood, secularism, and materialism as the effect of the counterculture era. Also, we get to see Christmas now being celebrated as a holiday rather than a holy day of the birth of Jesus Christ. Finally, we get to see disco music becoming prominent amidst Christmas celebrations which is somewhat of a letdown as we witness commercialism of holy days. Billy Dee Williams tries his best as Homer. But we get to see a great performance by Maria Schell as Mother Maria, who was not a feminist but rather a calm and collected voice of authority. She saved this movie. See more Read all reviews
Christmas Lilies of the Field

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Cast & Crew

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Ralph Nelson

Director

Billy Dee Williams

Homer Smith

Rachel Ward

Actor

Maria Schell

Mother Maria

Fay Hauser

Janet Owens

Judith Piquet

Sister Agnes
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Christmas Lilies of the Field

Christmas Lilies of the Field (1979) Christmas Lilies of the Field (1979) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Many years have passed since nomadic handyman Homer (Billy Dee Williams) helped to build a chapel for a group of nuns back home, but when he returns, it's as if he never left. Head nun Maria (Rachel Ward) is still a formidable force and wastes no time in insisting that Homer now build a bell tower and an orphanage since, by her reckoning, he didn't finish the chapel -- not completely. So, with the help of the nuns and the gorgeous Janet Owens (Maria Schell), Homer makes a difference once again.
Director
Ralph Nelson
Producer
Jack N. Reddish, Toby Martin
Screenwriter
William E. Barrett, Ralph Nelson, John McGreevey
Production Co
Osmond Productions
Genre
Holiday, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 28, 2017
Runtime
1h 40m
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