Starring Deborah Kerr, David Farrar, Kathleen Byron, and Sabu. On Turner Classics recently and available in full-screen quality on YouTube.. LINK This is a British film about 5 nuns who try to start a school/infirmary in an old palace on top of a mountain in the Indian Himalayas. The palace was originally a brothel. The nuns are constantly in the company of a very handsome Englishman, Mr. Dean, the agent of the palace owner. Dean, who is of questionable character, often parades around in walking shorts, no shirt, and rides a small pony. But this is not a comedy. It's a psychodrama (with emphasis on the psycho). It follows the mental deterioration of the nuns, due to isolation, harsh climate, and conflicts in lifestyles. It was banned in some states in the U.S. when it first came out (times have changed). The movie won 2 Oscars: for Color Cinematography and Art Direction. Didn't intend to watch it, but it draws you in quickly. I like old movies and enjoy stumbling on peculiar ones like this.
Black Narcissus was produced and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. The film was shot almost entirely on the set at Pinewood Studios in England. It is known for making extensive use of matte paintings and large-scale landscape paintings (credited to W. Percy Day) to suggest the mountainous environment of the Himalayas. Powell said later: "Our mountains were painted on glass. We decided to do the whole thing in the studio and that's the way we managed to maintain colour control to the very end. " Before-and-after stills: the top shows the scene as shot, the bottom incorporates W. Percy Day's matte painting, creating the illusion of a deep cliff.
Filming began on May 16, 1946 and was completed on August 22nd. The movie was released only a few months before India achieved independence from Britain in August 1947. Film critic Dave Kehr has suggested that the final images of the film could have been interpreted by British viewers in 1947 as "a last farewell to their fading empire." He suggests that for the film-makers, it is not an image of defeat "but of a respectful, rational retreat from something that England never owned nor understood". The story in the film quite closely follows that of the book, which was published in 1939.
A three-part, made for small screen, mini-series remake of Black Narcissus came out in 2020. It did not get good reviews. The scenery was probably better though. Trailer
The Allure and Shock of ‘Black Narcissus’ 70 Years Later "The influence of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger reaches far into the annals of film history. The duo was famous for many works ranging from The Red Shoes, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, A Matter of Life and Death, and Black Narcissus." "Black Narcissus, in particular, was so unlike anything directors were making in 1940s Britain. The film fuses sexuality and religion into a petri dish of unrelenting turmoil. It is also the product of masters on all sides of production bringing to fruition a truly memorable film." "Black Narcissus was an intriguing glance into the politicals surrounding Britain during 1947, especially in how they viewed India and Pakistan who were fighting for independence. There is definitely a conflict between two religious principals and how they can possibly exist. The nuns featured in the movie seek to bring about change to a culture and people that have been unchanged for centuries. It almost foreshadowed what was to come because no matter how much Britain tried to have India and Pakistan under their control, they were going to live by their religious ideals and ways of life." (READ MORE)
2020 Where is Black Narcissus filmed? Where is Black Narcissus set? "BLACK NARCISSUS is a brand-new mini-series coming to the BBC this festive. The drama tells a chilling tale of nuns working at a remote convent in the Himalayas. But where is Black Narcissus films and where is it set?" "Black Narcissus is based on the 1939 novel of the same name by Rumer Godden." "However, it’s perhaps the 1947 film directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger which has entrenched Black Narcissus in the public’s consciousness." "At the time, the movie caused outrage for being too erotic and was even attracted the ire of the censors." " The FX and BBC series will be paying homage to the movie while giving Black Narcissus its own 2020 spin with a focus on British colonialism." (READ MORE)