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IMDb > Black Narcissus (1947)
Black Narcissus
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Black Narcissus (1947) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
8.1/10   5,658 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 17% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Rumer Godden (novel)
Michael Powell (written by) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Black Narcissus on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
December 1947 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama more
Tagline:
Exquisite Yearning ! . . . Exotic Living ! High in a hidden mountain village of a strange land and extravagant dreams and desires become exciting realities ! more
Plot:
Anglican nuns, led by the stern Sister Clodagh, attempt to establish a religious community in the Himalayas... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins more
NewsDesk:
(6 articles)
Tetro—A Question for Francis Ford Coppola
 (From Twitch. 1 July 2009, 5:15 PM, PDT)

Jack Cardiff Dies
 (From EmpireOnline. 23 April 2009, 5:46 AM, PDT)

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

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Deborah Kerr ... Sister Clodagh
Flora Robson ... Sister Philippa

Jean Simmons ... Kanchi
David Farrar ... Mr. Dean
Sabu ... The Young General
Esmond Knight ... The Old General
Kathleen Byron ... Sister Ruth
Jenny Laird ... Sister Honey
Judith Furse ... Sister Briony
May Hallatt ... Angu Ayah
Shaun Noble ... Con, Clodagh's Childhood Sweetheart
Eddie Whaley Jr. ... Joseph Anthony, Young Interpreter
Nancy Roberts ... Mother Dorothea
Ley On ... Phuba, Dean's Servant
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Additional Details

Runtime:
100 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
Australia:PG | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:12 (2004) | West Germany:16 | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #11874, Adult Audience) | UK:U (video rating) (1986) (uncut) | UK:PG (re-rating) (1985) (uncut) | UK:A (original rating) (cut)
Filming Locations:
County Galway, Ireland more
Company:
Archers, The more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The much admired Himalayan scenery was all created in the studio (with glass shots and hanging miniatures). more
Goofs:
Continuity: 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). more
Quotes:
Mother Dorothea: Remember, the superior of all is the servant of all. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Damned If You Don't (1987) more
Soundtrack:
Lullay My Liking more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
47 out of 49 people found the following comment useful:-
A film about nuns and lust ... but it's not what you'd expect., 30 January 2001
Author: SilentType from Sydney, Australia

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.

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relationship between the two nuns aurela_22
Notes on BLACK NARCISSUS JSlack3
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Merle Oberon ashtontylo
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what's going on with mr. dean's little horse? lraymond1
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