Rating: 
Summary: an unusual slow paced film.
Review: This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.In my opinion, this film's plot was kind of boring and slow. In compensation however, the film has excellent matte shots and and well made scenery imitating the Himalayas. It is very hard to believe that the movie was made entirely in the British Isles. The film is about fuve nuns who open a school and hospital in a remote region of the Himalaya mountains. Their efforts are plagued with many troubles and the results are disasterous. The film also sparked a controversey with the Catholic Church's Leigon of Decency upon it's release in the US and as a result, a scene was cut for the US release. As a non-Catholic Christian, I am very glad that the Legion of Decency no longer censors films in the US because I strongly oppose many teachings of the Catholic church and their views could have caused many Protestant films to be banned as anti-Catholic. I did not find anything offensive in this film but can see why Catholics might. The special features are good and one of them is excellent.
There is a theatrical trailer, production photos, photos of cut scene, and audio commentary by Michael Powell and Martin Scorsese. The other feature which I really like is a 27 minute documentary "Painting with Light" which is about the technicolor canera and the cinematography of the film. The documentary also has a visual "tour" of the different parts of the technicolor video camera. The film remains a classic, though not one of my favorites.
Rating: 
Summary: Nun movie meets "Mommie Dearest" in a scenic land...
Review: Black Narcissus, the story of a young sister superior who is the main character and captain of a forming new convent, is an older movie. Though it was in color, it has all of the trademarks of a film of its time, including the overbearing, accompanying symphonic soundtrack. The setting is scenic and remarkable... but the characters fail to be anywhere near as convincing. Not a single one of the nuns we encounter seem to have any sort of reverence or deep spirit, though one of the sisters was at least emotional in a lighter, naive way. In a movie so centered around nuns attempting to start a convent, it stands to reason that some hint of religious devotion would permeate pieces of this movie. Alas, this was not the case.
The main character is an uptight twit whom we watch go through scene after scene of rigid and sterile behavior, with only a few glimpses of any humanity. It's obvious that they wanted her to be the very image of the stern religious woman, but the actress was over the top with her glares and pinched lips. The secondary characters were so rarely fleshed out in the story that we don't really know who they are. And then there's the obligatory psychotic. A movie like this can't establish drama without danger, so add one malicious and murderous nun to the mix. To her credit, this actress did an excellent job of scaring the heck out of me. At least her acting was spot-on.
The love interest was about as appealing as a dishrag, thus making it impossible for us to believe that there is any chemistry between him and the sisters who suddenly have feelings for him. Little suggestive comments that aren't really suggestive don't improve his dull screen presence. When he appears in a scene, I don't know that anyone could give a darn. Still, I give this movie two out of five stars for at least daring to have a non-Hollywood style of ending. I think two is generous, in a way, as so much of the tone of the movie was seeped in stereotypes of women religious as ruler-strapped, vicious old women who loathe everyone.
My advice - unless you're looking for more Hollywood glamour and less emotional realism, don't bother renting, much less buying this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: A haunting masterpiece exploding in vibrant colors.
Review: No, this is not Terminator 3. There aren't car chases or explosive gun fights. It has nuns. But it does create intrigue and an eerie atmosphere with plenty of memorable scenes to keep the viewer engaged.
The shots of the sister ringing the bell at the edge of a sheer vertical drop of several thousand feet is brilliant even by today's standards let alone in the 40's when this was made.
There are shots in this film that I swear could only have been done in the Himalayas but if it is true that is all England then it is further testament to the genius of Jack Cardiff.
The sisters find themselves in the midst of howling winds on a Himalayan mountaintop palace. The exotic palace and its surroundings are at once beautiful and yet eerie.
The sisters lose themselves in this hypnotic atmosphere. They soon find it harder to concentrate on spiritual matters and begin daydreaming of more worldly times before they joined the order.
A stubborn and difficult Mr. Dean only makes matters worse as an unstable Sister Ruth finds herself attracted to him.
The film is able to achieve it's eerie effect without a sledgehammer. For example, Sister Ruth's paranoia and jealousy comes out in subtle ways. Even after having watched plenty of modern films I found the scene where Sister Ruth is wearing a crimson red dress un-nerving and effective. A simple thing as seeing her pale lips changing to a deep crimson red as she put on her lipstick put a chill in my spine. Add to that the eerie shadows that seem to play in the light with a life of their own
and you've got a great film to watch, of course, on a cold, windy, winter's night next to the fireplace. I find it very relaxing to watch and thoroughly enjoyable.
But if you're only viewing mode is in hyper spaz then this might not be the right movie for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Remember, the superior of all is the servant of all.
Review: While the title of this film may confuse you, Black Narcissus is actually a very strong story about faith, perseverance, and sanity. We begin our story by learning that an order of Anglican Nuns have obtained the ability to open a school and hospital in the Himalayas. The ruling Sister has given the task of running it to Sister Clodagh and four other sisters who will have the duties of building this sanctuary from the ground up. The building is there, they just need to bring the residents and create a sense of beauty around the "palace". The Sisters are chosen for their different abilities. One for her planting abilities, one for her kindness, one for her medical skills, and one that is chosen to be changed. It is up to Sister Clodagh (played well by Deborah Kerr) to help bring this Sister back into the open arms of Jesus. So, together they set off for their new home.
When the arrive, they find that they are overwhelmed with work. The natives are coming in swarms to visit the hospital and also the school. They have arrived so quickly that the Sisters haven't even had enough time to set up a proper facility. Not only do they have this going against them, but the Sisters also find that the living habits on the mountain are horrendous. The wind blows everyday, the water is not purified, and they are in such a higher altitude that all the work that they do tires them out faster. Also, with all this work comes sores and sicknesses. Add another element to this environment and you begin to see the Sisters cracking down under the pressure. This element is stress. In the final riveting scene we watch as it is a battle between good and evil, our two protagonists fighting stress and insanity, one will not make it until the morning. Whoever does will have a tough road before them because the Sisters will leave the "palace".
What a powerful film. I would first like to begin with talking about the colors used in this film. Why? Outside of the title, it is the most important element in the film. The colors that directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger use set the scene for many parts during the film. For example, the use of the white garbs by the Nuns represent their purity and devotion to good. It is only until Sister Ruth disrobes from the gowns and puts on a deep red dress that we know she has left her good behind. Red is another powerful color in this film. It is used to show anger, to show death, to show insanity, and even a moment of passion. The use of colors is not just by coincidence. They are being used almost as a co-star to the film. They are being used to drive a message deeper to the viewer.
Was it a film about religion, or more importantly about seclusion? The Sisters were not really secluded from other people, their seclusion comes from inside of them. Most of the scenes when the Sisters are not helping the villagers are shown with the Sisters spending time alone. This cannot be good for the soul. It is interesting because right before Sister Clodagh leaves the main sanctuary, the head Sister tells Clodagh that she feels that she is not ready for the job at hand. The head Sister says that Clodagh is too "lonely". With Sister's surround her at all times, how can this be? I learned later that they were referencing the heart. So, as I continued to watch this film, I began to see that it was not a film about religion (while there were elements to it ... for example not removing the priest from the mountain), but about the sanity of humans. Each one of these Sisters lose a bit of their sanity by keeping to themselves and not interacting more with each other.
Overall a very powerful film that will capture your mind and make you explore the intense nature of colors, humanity, and friendship.
Grade: **** out of *****
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible Movie Regardless of Cinematography
Review: A lot of the people here give this movie glowing reviews, not in small part due to the cinematography. Basically, who cares if the filmwork is pretty if the movie stinks? The biggest problem with the movie is that EVERYONE behaves irrationally and there's no reason given. You go through the movie scratching your head and wondering when they're going to get around to explaining WHY these people are doing what they're doing. They never do. Plus, for nuns running a convent, there sure seems to be a lack of any sense of God or religion in their lives (i.e., there's none). I also wasn't impressed with the technical aspects of the movie. Most of the actors stink (it reminded me of an old Sinbad movie), there doesn't seem to be any plot or theme, and whoever wrote this has some really odd ideas of the climate at 8,000 or 9,000 feet in the Himalayas. The "climate" stuff is especially jarring. Most of the time, everyone's on a rocky crag with wind whistling around. Yet, the leading man runs around in shorts throughout. Then there are scenes where it looks like a lush, lowland, tropical garden. At one point, one of the characters runs off and is suddenly in the midst of a fog-enshrouded, moist bamboo jungle. There's also the beating jungle drums and the tropical birds cawwing in the background. I was wondering if Tarzan was going to swing in from darkest Africa. In short, I can't think of a single redeeming quality in this movie. Stay far away from it.
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