Rating: 
Summary: THEY WERE GONE BY THE TIME THE MONSOON SET IN...
Review: This is the anti-imperialist's rationalization for the Brits quitting India, while at the same time not being too harsh on the Raj: "I couldn't stop the wind from blowing; I couldn't keep the air from being crystal clear; I couldn't hide the mountains; I couldn't stop the holy man", which is answered by: "I told you this was no place to put a nunnery". And, "Everything is so exaggerated here- either you give yourself over to his way ("Dean"'s way- debauchery), or you give yourself totally in to it (spiritualism)".Isn't that a civilized rationale for the end of Empire? And, of course, the visual quality of the film is astounding (quite amazing in that it was shot entirely on a soundstage in England & the backdrops of the Himalayas are all paintings!). Also has a nice documentary on Jack Cardiff and his Technicolor cinematography.
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Summary: Beautiful cinematography - dated story and style
Review: I agree that the cinematography was absolutely gorgeous. However, at that point I part company with most other reviewers. This could have been an excellent and compelling story had it not been the victim of Western cultural myopia. Did anyone wonder why there are palm trees in the Himalayas, or cawing jungle birds? Did anyone wonder why Mr. Dean struts around in shorts, sandals, and unbuttoned shirts in the mountain peaks near the top of the world? Did anyone wonder why African drums are beating, or why some of the characters look more African than the Asian denizens of the Himalaya? Why not just set the film in the Congo a la "The Nun's Story"? Granted, the Himilayas make for a terrific setting for a film about losing one's grip on one's "civility", faith, and even sanity. But it would have been so much better had the filmmakers taken the time to find out what people of this part of the world really dress like, what the weather is really like, what the terrain is really like. I just found the whole "Africa, Asia, who cares, it's some third world country" attitude, while probably typical of American and British attitudes of the 1940's, to be distracting and to detract from the power of the film. Having said that, let me reiterate that it is an extremely beautiful film, worth watching, though not without some disappointment.
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Summary: Nuns Gone Wild
Review: My DVD player has allowed me to discover such a wide variety of films. BLACK NARCISSUS is one of them. I had put this film in the back of my mind and thought that one day I should rent it. I think I had read somewhere that its cinematography was gorgeous. Then my sister told me about the film - she had seen it in Atlanta during a rerelease. I finally rented -and have ultimately purchased it. This is what I discovered about BLACK NARCISSUS: it is a British film. It used the cumbersome Technicolor technology in new ways (especially during low-light scenes). And its art direction and use of color is gorgeous! The thing I like most about the film is its fabulous atmosphere. It is shot almost entirely on sound stages, so it has that wonderful studio feel with art direction to die for! The story takes place in the Himalayas and concerns a group of Anglican nuns who attempt to establish their order there. Deborah Kerr plays the head nun, who must keep her group together despite the tough circumstances. Nuns in the Himalayas? Contrary to your initial pessimism, the film is very erotic. One of the nuns freaks out, and the entire climax of the film rivals any of Hitchcock's famous sequences. Criterion provides some excellent behind the scenes info on the disc. Those who do not know the directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (like me!), will find the supplementary material interesting.
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Summary: Love it: it's beautiful . . .
Review: . . . and the story line isn't bad, either ! The closest we have to its technicolor beauty is LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (Gene Tierney.) ... if you enjoy technicolor at it's best, don't miss either film.
-moosbruggissus
Rating:
Summary: Beyond the Storyline
Review: Other reviews here do a fine job of revealing the plot. To my mind, the value of the film lies in what is beyond the storyline--the delicious tension between the world of the spirit devoutly wished for by the nuns, and that of the tangible world so easily experienced and savored by Kanchi, Mr. Dean, and other locals. That the film is beautifully photographed and restored is a supreme bonus. At least one reivewer has it right when he says "you'll never experience anything like this again." One must ask oneself upon which side of the spiritual divide one falls, knowing life is finite.
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Summary: Watch at your own risk--it may keep you awake!
Review: Excellent though the cast is in general, it's Kathleen Byron who steals the picture as Sister Ruth, one of filmdom's all-time great nutcases. This performance had to have influenced Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard and Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. The beautifully designed sets and fabulous camera work add to the strange, unhealthy atmosphere of the harem-turned-convent setting--as Mr. Dean puts it, "It's no place for a nunnery!"
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Summary: --An unforgettable movie--
Review: I can't think of another film that has the same feeling of exotic atmosphere that's found in this haunting story. The title comes from a flower with an enticing perfume. A beautiful young Irish nun, Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr) is sent off to an area in the Himalayan Mountains to establish a new convent. She's an extremely intelligent and competent woman, but the surroundings of the convent add an element of uneasiness and longing to the lives of the nuns. The building had been a harem at one point and the place is completely unsuitable for a convent. Sister Clodagh starts to dwell on her past life as do some of the other nuns which makes for an unsettled feeling within the convent. Kanchi, (Jean Simmons) is a young native woman who adds sensuality and mystery to the film when she flirts with the Young General played by Sabu. The difficult local agent, Mr. Dean provides a masculine influence that effects the sinister Sister Ruth, who is already very disturbed. All of the performances are great! Rumer Godden, is the very talented author of this story. She's written many memorable books which have been made into films. Another of her classic stories is IN THIS HOUSE OF BREDE. The movie version features Diana Rigg in the part of a woman who becomes a cloistered nun. BLACK NARCISSUS is beautifully filmed and worth seeing..
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Summary: This is AS GOOD as all thew reviewers here say!
Review: Along with THE RED SHOES,this may be Michael Powells' greatest movie ever, and everything he did was totally unique. Great atmosphere in a refurbushed Tibetan monastery (that may have been a house of ill repute in an earlier life), and terrific mountain scenery. A group of nuns treks here, hoping to help the impovershed locals, but they have other demons to contend with, as the harsh monotony of the place wears thin after a while. The story is told in other reviews, but as a character study of people in strange habitats and circumstances, this is a treasure. Maybe a little depressing at times, but worth the effort. Worth seeing more than once for sure!!
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Summary: To set things straight...
Review: I just wanted to mention some info that I got from the Criterion website (criterionco.com). According to the site, Black Narcissus was originally released in theaters in the 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio. They released the DVD in the same format. I just wanted to correct the other poster's statement. I have heard that sometimes on TV or in theaters an artificial "widescreening" is made by cropping the video. Maybe that is what the poster saw. I know nothing about whether scenes were removed or not. hope this helps. -m
Rating:
Summary: GREAT FILM! THE BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY WORK I HAVE EVER SEEN!
Review: Black Narcissus stands as a peak film in the career of Michael Powell and Emerich Pressburger. A flawless script centered on the personal experiences of a group of nuns that live in the Himalayas. The beauty of the place, the beauty of Nature all soon start to have a strange effect on those women. This is a movie about the conflicts between spirit and flesh. And what a film! On top of it we have a impecable cast and what I believe to be the best cinematography work I have ever experienced - courtesy of the great Mr. Jack Cardiff. The cinematography IS BREATHTAKING. As breathtaking as nothing I have ever seen on the technicolor days. I disagree with one reviewer who complained that Criterion Collection failed to bring us this film just because the aspect ratio was 1.33:1 (instead of a widescreen version). I strongly disagree with that idea and I must recall that Black Narcissus was made in 1947. At that time films had the 1.33:1 ratio. Widescreen only came up in the early 50's. It happeened that later on, some films had a fake-widescreen effect just for re-release purposes. Black Narcissus was filmed using a technicolor process involving 3 negatives and its correct aspect ratio was 1.33:1. Criterion's edition of Black Narcissus is a gem. A great buy. You will never see anything like this again!
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