Black Narcissus
Plagued by uncertainties and worldly desires, five Protestant missionary nuns, led by Deborah Kerr's Sister Clodagh, struggle to establish a school in the desolate Himalayas. All the elements of cinematic arts are perfectly fused in Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's fascinating study of the age-old conflict between the spirit and the flesh, set against the grandeur of the snowcapped peaks of Kanchenjunga.
Member Reviews
Not at all good - feliper
This was apparently quite the hit when it was released, but it certainly hasn't aged well. Deborah Kerr stars as a nun who takes a group of nuns to open a covent in the Himalayas. Poor Deborah comes across as rather wooden in this effort and isn't much helped by the cast - one nun's crazy and jealous. There's of course an ex-pat living in the mountains who is the object of much lust, maybe cause he runs around in the "cold mountains" in shorts. Who knows? East is east and west is west and never the twain shall meet, certainly not in this flick.A Terrible Film - sal33
What a pretentious and sloppy film. The writing was simply atrocious and the direction slow and inept.
I had to turn it off half through it was just unbearable. I've decided that I will no longer watched silly, pointless films all the way through.Cinematic masterpiece - Middle
Despite being one of the early Technicolor films, Black Narcissus holds up even today in terms of the use of colour to convey the mood of the characters and the storyline. The landscape is as much as a character as any live actor. I didn't realize until watching through the special features of the film that the stunning landscape was actually all constructed on a set in a London studio. For anyone interested in understanding mise-en-scene, shot set-up and even still photography, this is a must see.
Member Reviews
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Not at all good - feliper
This was apparently quite the hit when it was released, but it certainly hasn't aged well. Deborah Kerr stars as a nun who takes a group of nuns to open a covent in the Himalayas. Poor Deborah comes across as rather wooden in this effort and isn't much helped ...A Terrible Film - sal33
What a pretentious and sloppy film. The writing was simply atrocious and the direction slow and inept.
I had to turn it off half through it was just unbearable. I've decided that I will no longer watched silly, pointless films all the way through.Cinematic masterpiece - Middle
Despite being one of the early Technicolor films, Black Narcissus holds up even today in terms of the use of colour to convey the mood of the characters and the storyline. The landscape is as much as a character as any live actor. I didn't realize until ...