The 1974 family drama "Where the Lilies Bloom" is hard to come by these days because it was very much a product of its time, and it was largely defined even then by what it wasn't.

There's a difficult, if unsurprising reality that film fans need accept: movies often focus on violence and sex. This is true now, and it was true in the 1970s when this particular movie came out. That's why New York Times critic Howard Thompson's review of "Where the Lilies Bloom" was built entirely around the fact that it wasn't about human vices. "Arriving now on a screen splattered with violence and sex, this beautiful little movie is like a cool, clear dip of mountain spring water."

That's a glowing review, but there's a less positive implication there: The movie was great because it wasn't "The Exorcist" (nominated for 10 Oscars that year) or "Last Tango in Paris" (nominated for two big ones -- best director and best actor).

That is to say that, according to that review at least, removing "Where the Lilies Bloom" from its context removes much of its appeal.

Family-friendly fare just doesn't age as well as adult-oriented stuff. That's why, for another example, you can more easily find reruns of "M*A*S*H" than "The Waltons."

I mention "The Waltons" here on purpose, by the way. That series was created by Earl Hamner Jr., who also wrote the screenplay of "Where the Lilies Bloom" (adapting the award-winning children's novel of the same name).

However, that's just about it for star power behind your movie. It featured Harry Dean Stanton in a supporting role, but the film was celebrated at the time for using a cast of unknowns, which hasn't helped its profile much in recent years.

As for DVD availability, that's partly an age problem -- you can still find it on VHS if you look, which, again, says a lot.

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