Black Narcissus (1947)

After opening a convent in the Himalayas, five nuns encounter conflict and tension - both with the natives and also within their own group - as they attempt to adapt to their remote, exotic surroundings.

Directors:

Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Writers:

Rumer Godden (adapted from the novel by), Michael Powell,

Stars:

Deborah Kerr, Flora Robson, Jenny Laird

Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Deborah Kerr	...	Sister Clodagh
Flora Robson	...	Sister Philippa
Jenny Laird	...	Sister Honey
Judith Furse	...	Sister Briony
Kathleen Byron	...	Sister Ruth
Esmond Knight	...	The Old General
Sabu	...	The Young General
David Farrar	...	Mr. Dean
Jean Simmons	...	Kanchi
May Hallatt	...	Angu Ayah
Eddie Whaley Jr.	...	Joseph Anthony
Shaun Noble	...	Con
Nancy Roberts	...	Mother Dorothea
Ley On	...	Phuba

Storyline

Sister Clodah is dispatched with four other nuns to establish a new convent far in the Himalayas. It's a difficult journey and their new house is a ramshackle old building on the edge of a cliff that had been abandoned by a religious Brotherhood many years before. They soon establish a school and an infirmary though the local General's agent, Mr. Dean, warns them against treating the deathly ill as they would no doubt be blamed if the patient doesn't recover. The location, the culture and the mountain air all begin to have a strange effect on the Sisters. Sister Clodagh, who is also on her first assignment as Sister Superior, begins to remember a romance she had as a young woman before entering the sisterhood. Another however, becomes obsessed with Mr. Dean, which leads to tragedy.

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Plot Keywords:

nun | convent | general | tragedy | cliff | 

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Taglines:

A Story to Storm Your Heart! Drama at the top of the world ... where winds of the exotic past sweep men and women to strange and fascinating adventure...

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le narcisse noir

Filming Locations:

County Galway, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

£280,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Archers, The, Independent Producers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Johannes Vermeer has been mentioned as an inspiration for the lighting and color palette. A tribute to this Dutch painter can be seen in the opening scene when the Mother Superior is reading a letter, while facing a window. An image used by Vermeer in some of his most famous paintings.

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Goofs

Two similar Christian religious statues are shown in the convent in the film. One is on the floor in the blue room where Dean first meets Sister Clodagh to talk business. It is hidden behind the nuns where they enter to speak to Dean. Another very similar statue, but bearing a cross (possibly St Faith), is shown next to Dean as he converses with Sister Clodagh. It has some packing material (straw) on it (19:02). Later on, this second statue is shown being unpacked from its crate by Dean and a servant to be placed above the doorway leading to the yard (27:27).

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Quotes

The Old General: [Dictating his orders for welcoming the soon-to-arrive nuns] Mr. Dean! You will receive them for me, and you will do everything for them that they want doing.
The Old General: [Now turning his attention to Ayah] You too. You will engage servants for them, and you will both look after them until they care to look after themselves.
Angu Ayah: What do they eat? How do I know what nuns eat?
The Old General: I have remembered that.
The Old General: [...]

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Connections

Referenced in The Age of Innocence (1993)

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Soundtracks

"Lullay My Liking"
Old Edwardian Carol
Music by Sir Richard Terry
New music by Brian Easdale

User Reviews

A film about nuns and lust ... but it's not what you'd expect.

A story about a community of nuns ... doesn't sound very exciting. But in fact, `Black Narcissus' is as erotic, spellbinding, and suspenseful as any of today's psychological thrillers.

Directing team Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger manage to combine a number of unlikely and potentially sensational elements - eroticism, desire, and isolation - into the story of a company of Anglican nuns who attempt to establish a civilised community in the former bordello of the Rajah, in the untamed hills of the Himalayas.

Their leader, Sister Clodagh, communicates with the indigenous leader of the land via a profligate Englishman, Mr Dean. Worn down by the hostile surroundings and the isolation, Sister Clodagh finds her nuns becoming restless and discontent. It is when one of her them, Sister Ruth, becomes infatuated with Mr Deans, that the fragile and repressed community begins to implode.

Pressburger and Powell deliberately used studio exteriors and special effects rather than shooting on location in order to ensure that the characters and their story remained the focus of the film, and not its exotic setting. This lends to the movie a heightened, mesmeric atmosphere which contributes highly to its artistic success, and earned two Academy Awards.

The famous wordless sequence towards the end of the film displays a particularly interesting approach. The music to this sequence was written and recorded first. Played back during the recording of the sequence, it dictated the movements and motivations of the actors.

Still completely convincing today, `Black Narcissus' is one of Britain's most important and innovative films.