Technically, Black Narcissus is recognisable first and foremost as a pinnacle of early Technicolor craftsmanship. Its carefully composed, precisely-lit shots (by the legendary Jack Cardiff) conjure up those rich photographic plates in exquisite encyclopaedias of the forties and fifties. And the images are so infused with the allure of Imperial-age exoticism, it's not a stretch to imagine seeing them blown up, mounted and hung on the walls of post-war, working class homes, just between the flying ducks and a print of Tretchikoff's 'Blue Lady'.
Emotionally, however, Black Narcissus is a film on heat. As it charts the reaction of a remote Himalayan order of Anglo-Catholic nuns to the arrival of a charismatic English agent (David Farrar), it comes closer than any other mainstream movie of its time to a suggestion of burning sexual tension, as the jealousies, crushes and inevitable frustrations race to the fore to upset the virginal equilibrium.
For some critics, the artistic control of Narcissus is too tight: the precision of the camerawork and the choreography of the drama seems to harness the mood like an emotional straitjacket. But this only serves to underline the film’s point: Powell and Pressburger know that there is only so far these manicured frames, like the starched, restrictive wimples, can contain the hysteria that begins to sweep through the Holy Order like a rabid sexual plague.
As the Sister Superior, mourning a lost love and unnerved by her own unsolicited response to Farrar, Deborah Kerr gives a suitably trembling performance of fractured poise and suppressed torment, but it is Kathleen Byron who provides the genuine moments of alarm. As the increasingly unhinged Sister Ruth, descending into wild-eyed, hungry-mouthed madness, Byron’s scenes, more than anything, serve to shatter the controlled beauty of Black Narcissus and reveal its true anarchic spirit.
Powell and Pressburger added to their run of daring and stylistic pictures with this melodrama about a group of Anglican nuns establishing a remote mission high in the Himalayas. Their physical environment, the extreme temperature, illness and a young Indian Prince's perfume lead to psychological disturbance coupled with emotional weakness. Seething with repressed sexuality, it is all the more amazing for being almost wholly shot at Pinewood studios. A masterpiece.
Now this a film that is worth owning on DVD. Let me explain. When I saw Mark Cousins' interview with Jack Cardiff they pointed out that on the screen was a VHS copy of... more >
Now this a film that is worth owning on DVD. Let me explain. When I saw Mark Cousins' interview with Jack Cardiff they pointed out that on the screen was a VHS copy of the film and therefore inferior. I recall that Jack said the floor of the church was lit with green light. When watching the video projection it was hardly noticeable. This made me determined to see a film print whenever possible. The interview itself was held at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 1996. Four years later Digital Versatile Discs are placed on the market. Their major selling point? They are closer to the quality of a film print as is humanly possible. Well there is only one sure way to test this out, purchase Black Narcissus. Believe me folks, this works. You can get the green light in the church but also the picture is far more vivid than any VHS video can hope to be. However I'm still fond of my thick black boxes. Despite the fact that there are no "extras", this film is worth owning on DVD. But if anybody knows of a cinema showing Black Narcissus......
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