Runtime: 101 minutes
Directed by: Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger
Starring: Deborah Kerr, David Farrar, Flora Robson, Kathleen Byron, Sabu
From: General Film Distributors
About time I saw & reviewed a Powell & Pressburger film here. Many may be surprised that I hadn’t seen anything from the duo before despite being familiar w/ their most popular films. It’s subsequently not difficult to find those motion pictures, but this was selected due to all the praise I’ve heard through the years concerning the stunning visuals and all the color present.
It may seem paradoxical for that to be the case for a tale centered around nuns at a convent-some of whom have a crisis of faith and all of whom have difficulties at establishing something new-yet that is actually the case. The setting is middle of nowhere India right by the Himalayas; a Raj wishes for an order to establish a hospital and school at an old palace high upon a cliff. There have been previous failures and for a number of reasons it is difficult even for such spiritually strong women as them.
A startling fact about Black Narcissus is that much of it was shot at Pinewood Studios; many landscape & matte paintings were implemented to create the lush but also stark Indian setting, which was greatly successful. You never not believe they are in such a lovely remote location, and is gorgeous to look at even ¾ of a century later. Furthermore, color is shown in other ways, from the palace to actual outdoor locations that display such sights as flowers. Despite not being in my wheelhouse, the story never struck a dull note for me. The cast as a whole is quality; that includes Jean Simmons, who lamentably played a brownface role. However, Kathleen Byron was the true highlight, for reasons I won’t elaborate upon here; Deborah Kerr’s performance also has to be noted as the contrast between her and Byron’s characters is perhaps THE key aspect of the film.
For certain this was a mature movie which managed to connect to me despite some heavy and serious themes that I usually don’t see in what films I explore. Make sure to stick with the movie the entire way—it takes quite a turn in the final act.
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