Black Narcissus - Criterion Collection | Deborah Kerr, Flora Robson

Black Narcissus - Criterion Collection | Deborah Kerr, Flora Robson | Criterion has done it again

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Black Narcissus - ...

	Black Narcissus - Criterion Collection Deborah Kerr, Flora Robson Criterion, 2001 average customer review:based on 73 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Cloistered Nuns and Subtle Eroticism High in the Himalayas in Fascinating Spiritual Melodrama

Having enjoyed the recent release of Jean Renoir's "The River" on the Criterion Collection DVD, I was looking forward to seeing this film adaptation of yet another exotically set Rumer Godden book. As it turns out, this 1947 classic is far more enthralling thanks to the visionary filmmaking team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, an intriguing plotline focused on the conflict between devotion and desire and a sterling cast headed by 26-year old Deborah Kerr as Sister Clodagh, a precursor to her similarly themed work in "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison" ten years later.

The beautifully photographed movie tells an unusual tale of Anglican nuns who establish a convent in an extremely remote region of the Himalayas called Mopu. Chosen in Calcutta by her Mother Superior, Sister Clodagh becomes the Sister Superior, one of the youngest ever chosen, of the convent. Her primary task is a daunting one, to convert a donated sultan's palace into a convent, transforming it from a residence for concubines to a school and a hospital. The terrain, 9,000-foot elevation and climate all prove challenging, and physical problems are compounded by ensuing health issues and the decline in overall morale, the result of the invariable conflict between the sensuality of the environment and the regimented order of the nuns' lives.

Each sister reacts differently and manages their inner turmoil in different ways. Matters come to a head with the arrival of three outsiders - a cynical, agnostic Brit, Mr. Dean, who sparks unholy feelings among the sisters; the son of the General who bestowed the gift of the palace, hungry for education from the nuns; and Kanchi, an exotic native girl who is unruly and in need of male attention. The film's title refers to an exotic perfume, worn by the General's son, which clouds the air around their mission and consequently redirects the thoughts of the sisters to the world they were supposed to leave behind. All their lives collide in ways that lead to tragic consequences.

The hallmark of this movie is the lush cinematography by Jack Cardiff, who did similar duties on "The African Queen". Amazingly, the film makes extensive use of matte paintings and large scale landscape paintings (the artwork is by Peter Ellenshaw) to suggest the mountainous environment of the Himalayas. The cast is mostly quite effective. In one of her first starring roles, Kerr is superb as Sister Clodagh, providing the right shadings to her conflict-ridden character. However, it is Kathleen Byron (who looks eerily like Cate Blanchett) as the deranged Sister Ruth and a 17-year old Jean Simmons as Kanchi, who threaten to steal the picture. The suspenseful climax will remind you a bit of Hitchcock's "Vertigo" made 11 years later. This is a fascinating, subtly erotic film about repression and duty, sometimes melodramatic but constantly affecting, and quite worthy of viewing.

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Criterion has done it again

This is another great release from Criterion.Contrary to what several of the previous reviews have stated-this is a complete print and was overseen by the director of cinematography Jack Cardiff.

Lush, gorgeous fantasy

The film is absolutely beautiful. It is one of the Criterion Collection by The Archers, who were Powell and Pressburger. Another, perhaps better known, example of their word is "The Red Shoes." This film is equally lovely.

With the breathtaking backdrop of the Himalayas, a group of nuns journeys to open a new mission in the back of the beyond. The Sister Superior is played by Deborah Kerr, one of my alltime favorite actresses of the 20th century. There are about four other nuns in the party. Their destination is Mopu, built hanging off a spectacular cliff and owned by a local dignitary.

The "General" who is the dignitary who owns Mopu, deputizes Mr. Dean, his English agent, to give the nuns all assistance. Dean is opposed to the idea of their being at Mopu and from the first, clashes with the Sister Superior. There is also an undercurrent of sexual chemistry flowing between them, which makes their exchanges all the more interesting.

Other engaging characters are Sister Ruth, a young nun with some serious psychological problems, Angu Ayah, the old caretaker of the place, the Little General (played by Sabu), and Kanchi, played by Jean Simmons, who, without saying a word, nevertheless communicates very well.

The film's ending is strong and a delightful surprise which I will leave you to discover for yourself. The film's only fault is its relative shortness. Alas, would that they were able to make films like this in the modern era. Just enjoy this one!

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Haunting eroticism high in the Himalayas

A group of nuns is invited to take over an abandoned remote retreat in the Himalayas. There they must learn to deal with: the native population, a cynical British agent, and their own inadequacies. Mainly the movie centers around the sexual feelings Deborah Kerr and Kathleen Byron have for the British agent David Farrar. The erotoc tensions build precipitously, thanks to the native drumbeats, the endless wind, and the award-winning color photography of the breathtaking Himalayan setting(though it was filmed in a studio). The use of flashbacks to earlier days before joining the order for each of the nuns effectively heightens their inner conflicts. It's a well-acted, intelligent, and highly emotional movie - well worth a watch.

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Asceticism and aesthetics

In brief, this is a story of a small group of English nuns working in India. The focus of the movie is on the inner struggle of the nuns to live a life of asceticism in an incredibly aesthetic surrounding. The movie was excellent even if the story could have been developed a little more. As a student of Christian theology and mysticism, I found it greatly intriguing, but any educated person should say the same.

I want to note that, yes, these nuns are Protestant not Catholic. To be specific, they are Anglicans who follow a branch of Anglicanism called "Anglo-Catholicism." The Anglo-Catholic movement was a movement within the Church of England in the 19th century to return the C of E to its roots in the early church and the medieval church. They promoted, among other things, a high view of the sacraments and the importance of ritual and beauty in the liturgy. Also, they affirmed the importance of the monastic life within the church, thus there are Anglican monks, friars, and nuns (albeit few). There is much more on the internet about Anglo-Catholicism: I'd recommend looking-up Project Canterbury (a website devoted to Anglo-Catholicism).

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