Black Narcissus poster & wallpaper

David Farrar, Deborah Kerr, Eddie Whaley Jr.

A young British nun is ordered to establish a convent in the remote Himalayan mountains.

Flixster Users

89% liked it

5,076 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

13 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 39 min.

Directed by: Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell

Release Date: August 1, 1947

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: January 30, 2001

Stats: 348 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites
report incorrect info

Photos

Sister Ruth on the verge... Kathleen Byron "Black Narcissus" Kathleen Byron "Black Narcissus"
Upload a Photo |

View All Black Narcissus Photos (3)

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (348)

  • jplong39
    July 5, 2009
    jplong39
    Powell and Pressburger made Technicolor a whole new art form of their own...INCREDIBLY beautiful.
  • rubystevens
    May 27, 2009
    rubystevens
    it's magnificent. a good part of the credit must go to jack cardiff's oscar winning cinematography. his career spanned 8 decades and dozens of films including his long collaboration with powell and pressburger. one of the great cinematographers of all time, cardiff died last m...( read more)onth at the age of 94. rip
  • her69eyes
    April 15, 2009
    her69eyes
    "Black Narcissus", the famous technicolor film directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, is often considered to be one of the most beautiful films ever made. It's not hard to see why. Shot entirely in a studio, it's world is still convincing, immersive, and breathtaking....( read more) The environment seems surreal and unlike anything you've seen, but it, at the same time, feels almost natural. Unfortunately, however, as much as I admired the cinematography and set design, I found myself thinking that the only interesting character in the picture was the environment itself.

    The film's star is Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr), a nun teaching in Calcutta. Shortly after the film begins, she's selected to be the Sister Superior in a remote area in the Himalayas known as Mopu. Mopu houses an extravagant palace of a former sultan that, at one point, served as a brothel. Sister Clodagh, with her staff, set out to convert the former palace into a school and hospital. One woman on her staff, Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron), is the rebel of the Order of the Servants of Mary, and this environment will lead to her downfall in one of the most chilling climaxes you'll ever see.

    Another addition to the project is Mr. Dean (David Farrar), a British agnostic who walks around the palace shirtless and in shorts. The film is highly, but not overtly, sexual, and the tension between Mr. Dean and Sister Clodagh is very convincing. Due to the nuns trying to resist the temptations of the sensual environment, the imposing threat of sickness from the elevation, and the reemergence of repressed memories, this convent becomes a place on the verge of a breaking point. The film, extraordinarily beautiful, is never quite as inviting as some other melodramas from the time period. Instead, however, you always feel like an outsider to the world, unsure of what moves the characters will make next.

    "Black Narcissus" is not a boring film, however I had a hard time engaging in it. It's ideas of repressed sexuality, the hypocrisy of the Catholic church, and nuns with haunted pasts are not entirely new nor compelling. While the downfall of Sister Ruth is beautifully shot, I didn't completely buy it, nor did I buy any of the flashbacks of Sister Clodagh. Perhaps the film is an acquired taste, and in a few years i'll come back to it and find it more worthwhile, but only the stunning technological achievements were interesting to me.

    The film is worth seeing for it's imagery, which looks especially crisp in the Criterion transfer. That being said, however, I found the story to be lacking and thus a disappointment of a film.
  • dooritor1
    June 17, 2008
    dooritor1
    i gues i dont like british melodramas... nuns and movies shouldnt mix. the title could not be more misleading...
  • kenstachnik
    March 14, 2008
    kenstachnik
    Another brilliant work by Powell & Pressberger.

    The story of a bunch of moist nuns stuck inside of a lair usually reserved for James Bond villains.

    Dramedy ensures
  • jxxx84
    November 14, 2009
    jxxx84
    Recommended by Arianeta
  • Epicouros
    November 14, 2009
    Epicouros
    Arianeta , member here and friend of mine has below the best review ..so read her ...
  • Arianeta
    November 13, 2009
    Arianeta
    Five young British nuns are invited to move to a windy "palace", former house of the concubines of an old general, in the top of a mountain in Mopu, Himalaya, to raise the convent of Saint Faith Order, a school for children and girls, and an infirmary for the local dwellers. The ...( read more)palace was once called "The House of Women" and is rather ornately decorated with erotic art. In the opening scenes, we are told that an order of Brothers had attempted to do the same thing as the Sisters, but failed. After the nun's arrival their "straight-laced" behaviour begins to loosen, their discipline becomes more lax, and the foundation of their self-image begins to change. The lonely and exotic place awake the innermost desires in the flesh of the sisters?This is one of the most beautifully composed colour films I have ever seen. I did not know that this film was shot entirely in a studio. Some of the matte shots are extremely realistic, and others look more like beautiful paintings. All this serves to reinforce the struggle between illusion and reality, and also passion and chastity. So Black Narcissus is filled with magic images and haunting echoes. The "flowering of the snows" scene is breathtaking. The chapel scene is frightening and tense. The "Bell" scene is horrifying. The final view of "The House of Women", viewed by Sister Clodagha from the valley below is heart-stopping: A mist rises slowly and inch by inch blots out the Palace, until it is only a dream in your mind's eye. Then, a large leaf is seen. One drop falls and then another, like tears of regret. A black umbrella is opened. Mr. Dean sits on his pony and runs his hand through his thick black hair. He had said the nuns would be gone with the first rain, and he was right?..memorable scenes?
    The extraordinary performances in this film are complimented visually with the flawless cinematography. The cast is splendid. Deborah Kerr's tortured Sister Clodagha registers every emotion, every longing, every doubt and every fear with her eyes and the set of her chin. David Farrar as Mr. Dean, Flora Robson as Sister Philippa, Sabu as The Young General, and Jean Simmons as Kanchi are a superb acting ensemble. However it is Kathleen Byron as the emotionally disturbed Sister Ruth that you will remember the most after viewing this film.
    Black Narcissus brings home the point that we are all sometimes far too ambitious, vulnerable, obstinate, passionate, and alas, human. So at last if you love great films, great acting or just stunning cinematography Black Narcissus will haunt you forever.
  • adam2409
    October 9, 2009
    adam2409
    An suprisingly gripping story which is very well acted. The excellent use of Technicolor really brings it to life.
  • damoooo
    October 4, 2009
    damoooo
    If nuns going mental halfway up an himalayan mountain don't appeal to you then the exotic sets and luscious surely will. cinematography

View All Black Narcissus Reviews

Critic Reviews

No recent reviews.

View more Black Narcissus reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

This board looks lonely. Be the first to talk about "Black Narcissus" !

Post A Comment | View All Comments

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

All Rotten Tomatoes content is used under license from Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes, Certified Fresh, and the Tomatometer are the trademarks of Incfusion Corporation, d/b/a Rotten Tomatoes, a subsidiary of IGN Entertainment, Inc.

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • The Red Shoes
    The Red Shoes (67%)
  • The Vikings
    The Vikings (100%)
  • 16 Blocks
    16 Blocks (29%)
  • The King and I
    The King and I (50%)

More Movies like Black Narcissus

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Black Narcissus : Watch Free on TV

Black Narcissus Trivia

  • What do The Sound of Music, Black Narcissus, Sister Act and Two Mules for Sister Sara have in common?  Answer »
  • In "Black Narcissus," what happens to Sister Ruth?   Answer »
More Black Narcissus Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Black Narcissus. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add Black Narcissus to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

littlecharmer1959 Skin by littlecharmer1959
7 Profiles
Add to Profile

More Skins