''Where the Lilies Bloom'' is a 1974 American drama film directed by William A. Graham and starring Julie Gholson, Harry Dean Stanton, Rance Howard, and Jan Smithers. Based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Bill and Vera Cleaver, it follows four underage siblings in

Appalachia Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...

who attempt to conceal the death of their widowed father to avoid being separated. The film was shot in Watauga County (towns of Boone and Blowing Rock), Ashe County (towns of West Jefferson and Lansing), and in Avery County (towns of Elk Park and Banner Elk),

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. Soundtrack music is by

Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-finge ...

. Children from local elementary schools were recruited to act in the film.

Plot

The Luther family are poor sharecroppers living in the mountains of North Carolina. The father, Roy Luther ( Rance Howard) is sickly, and he asks the second eldest daughter, Mary Call (Julie Gholson), to take over his role of father when he passes on. He instructs her not to tell anyone when he dies as doctors, undertakers and preachers "just take money". Should the authorities discover he is dead, the children would be split up and put in foster homes since none of them are of legal age. Their landlord Kiser Pease ( Harry Dean Stanton) is interested in marrying the eldest daughter Devola ( Jan Smithers). Roy Luther won't allow the marriage, and he makes Mary Call promise she won't let it happen after he dies. Mary Call and younger brother Romey (Matthew Burril) help Kiser when he is sick with pneumonia, and Kiser agrees to sign the land back over to the Luther family. When Roy Luther dies, the children bury him on a mountainside in an unmarked grave, then go to elaborate lengths to keep anyone from finding out he is dead. The children rehearse over and over about what to say if asked about their father. Kiser continues his courtship of Devola, and Mary Call does everything she can to thwart his pursuit of her. The Luther children scrimp and do all they can to eke out a living for themselves, even selling roots and herbs gathered from their land to the local pharmacist to use in medicines. Mary Call takes refuge in her journal, and the essays she writes for school assignments catch the eye of her teacher who urges her not to waste her talent with words by settling for "a life in the hills". When Kiser lands in the hospital after having been hit by a truck, his nosy sister Goldie comes to the Luther house and demands they vacate the property. She says the paper that Kiser signed giving the Luthers their land is worthless and orders them out in 48 hours. With few options left, a desperate Mary Call visits Kiser in the hospital and offers herself to him in marriage. Kiser would rather marry Devola and a distraught Mary Call blurts out that Roy Luther is dead. She threatens to kill Kiser if he tells anyone and storms out. Finally, Mary Call agrees to let Kiser marry Devola. Mary Call realizes that Kiser was not so bad after all. After Kiser and Devola marry, the entire Luther family live together in Kiser and Devola's home.

Cast

Development

This is the second film produced by Robert B. Radnitz and

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...

Release

Home media

As of 2020, the film is available for streaming on Amazon Prime. On July 19, 2022, it was released on both DVD and Blu-ray by

Kino Lorber Kino Lorber is an international film distribution company based in New York City. Founded in 1977, it was originally known as Kino International until it was acquired by and merged into Lorber HT Digital in 2009. It specializes in art film, art ho ...

and Scorpion Releasing.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Where The Lilies Bloom 1974 films Films set in Appalachia Films shot in North Carolina 1974 drama films United Artists films Films based on American novels Films directed by William Graham (director) 1970s English-language films American drama films Films about landlords