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Lilies of the Field

Name: Lilies of the Field
Director: Ralph Nelson
Released: 1963
Duration: 94 min

Representation Score

2.8/10

Limited

1963

Director

Ralph Nelson

Runtime

94 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Lilies of the Field stands as a landmark of 1960s cinema by placing a Black man at the center of its narrative. By giving the protagonist significant influence and expertise, the film challenges the racial status quo and systemic prejudices of the American Southwest. However, the film remains tied to the social traditions of its time. It adheres to conventional gender roles and relies on a religious framework that reinforces existing institutional structures without critique. The tension between its progressive racial centering and its adherence to traditional Western moral and gendered frameworks results in a complex, mid-century profile.

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Category Breakdown

Does Lilies of the Field have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or non-cisgender identities. The social setting is strictly traditional and assumes everyone is straight and cisgender.

How does Lilies of the Field portray gender?

Fair

The female lead manages her farm with significant influence but is often portrayed through economic struggles. The story relies heavily on mid-century stereotypes of masculine utility and physical labor.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Lilies of the Field?

Excellent

The film is highly progressive for its time by centering a Black protagonist with significant influence. It challenges typical racial hierarchies by making his skills and moral strength the driving force of the plot.

How does Lilies of the Field represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story is deeply rooted in traditional Christian themes and the dignity of labor. It reinforces religious institutions without questioning them, grounding its morality in a cohesive faith-based structure.

Does Lilies of the Field include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no significant depictions of visible or invisible disabilities that serve as central narrative drivers or character studies.

Present on Screen

The film centers a Black protagonist with significant influence, disrupting the era's typical racial hierarchies.
It provides a significant social critique of systemic prejudice in the American Southwest.

Limited or Absent

The film relies on conventional mid-century gender archetypes and masculine utility.
The narrative adheres to traditional religious and straight-centered structures without critique.

Official Synopsis

An unemployed construction worker heading out west stops at a remote farm in the desert to get water when his car overheats. The farm is being worked by a group of East European Catholic nuns, headed by the strict mother superior, who believes the man has been sent by God to build a much needed church in the desert.

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