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A Different Sort of Religious Film
posted by barrymostSTAFFMOD on January 17, 2020 at 7:59 PM
I thought this was a very intriguing little movie. Sidney Poitier gives a stunning performance as the itinerant carpenter wandering through Arizona who happens upon a piece of land farmed by a group of German nuns, who eventually convince him to stay a while and build them a chapel.
One of the things I find most interesting about it is the way both Baptist and Catholic religious themes are inherent in the plot. The film manages to combine both views without leaning too much in either direction, and still respect both as well. Another good part of the film involves the way Homer Smith (Poitier) teaches the nuns a "come on down to the meeting" (as he terms it) type worship song, which is, of course, "Amen". That being said, it's also a very good song, full of truth, and basically tells the whole message of the Gospel.
Th ending was also beautiful, and rather haunting. The closing shots show Smith leading the nuns in another chorus of "Amen" as he slowly backs away, out of the house, and gets in his car. They are still singing as he leaves the farm behind and drives away down a dusty Arizona road, heading to whatever lies ahead, and leaving the viewer with a wholly satisfying feeling.
Reply by genplant29
on January 17, 2020 at 10:48 PM
A good down to earth charmer. It's been probably around ten years since I last watched this. I've always enjoyed it.
An additional Poitier delight I recommend is 1967's To Sir, with Love. It has much general appeal, a terrific music soundtrack, tremendous period/place flavour, is entertaining (while also dramatically satisfying and compelling), and has always been my personal fave of all Poitier's movies.
Reply by barrymost
on January 18, 2020 at 6:34 PM
I've heard of To Sir, with Love, but have yet to see it. I will be sure to check this out at some point! Thanks for the recommendation!
Reply by znexyish
on January 18, 2020 at 7:34 PM
Poitiers has great range and acted in a variety of roles and film genres. The gentle A Patch of Blue has Sidney befriending a young blind girl while in The Defient Ones he and Tony Curtis are escaped prisoners who are shackled together. Guess who's Coming to Dinner is his well known dramatic message film. He also was a great man as an individual with a life of inspiration and social service.
Reply by barrymost
on January 18, 2020 at 8:31 PM
All good points, z. A Patch of Blue is one of my favorite Poitier films. I haven't seen The Defiant Ones, but I have seen Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. I liked it quite a bit; it had a great cast overall.
Reply by Fergoose
on April 14, 2022 at 4:53 PM
We could do with more shorter, simpler tales like this. But I didn't feel particularly satisfied by it. spoilers
Smith turned down a job as foreman, became instantly restless and melancholy after the completion of the chapel and headed off seemingly rudderless to an unknown future where it is unclear if he'd have an opportunity to use his newfound leadership skills.
It was also left completely unexplained why he returned to the nuns after a 3 week absence and no knowledge of there being any building supplies . Did he have an itch he needed to scratch? A real strange one that held my attention throughout but left me a little non-plussed despite Poitier's performance and the nice development of his character as a simple human being.
7/10