X
- 1947
- Not Rated
- General Film Distributors (GFD)
- 1 h 41 m
- 1947
- Not Rated
- General Film Distributors (GFD)
- 1 h 41 m
Summary A group of nuns struggle to establish a convent in the Himalayas, while isolation, extreme weather, altitude, and culture clashes all conspire to drive the well-intentioned missionaries mad.
Directed By: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Written By: Rumer Godden, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
- 1947
- Not Rated
- General Film Distributors (GFD)
- 1 h 41 m
- 1947
- Not Rated
- General Film Distributors (GFD)
- 1 h 41 m
Black Narcissus
6.2
Where to Watch
Summary A group of nuns struggle to establish a convent in the Himalayas, while isolation, extreme weather, altitude, and culture clashes all conspire to drive the well-intentioned missionaries mad.
Directed By: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Written By: Rumer Godden, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
86
94% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
86
94% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Disorientingly glorious and thrilling, it’s a beguiling mixture of believability and artifice, of the sort that only the movies can manage.
Black Narcissus impishly keeps watch over the Archers’ canon with a sunken, rabidly prismatic eye.
For Powell and Pressburger, the personal and the political—much like their distinctive mix of high and low artistry—weren’t separate bedfellows: Even a marvelously entertaining tale of repressed abbesses on the edge could explore, with enduring resonance and profundity, an empire losing its grip.
Fifty Shades of Grey can only dream of being as erotic a work as Powell and Pressburger's tale of repressed desire and simmering passions among a community of nuns at a convent in the Himalayas. Jack Cardiff's cinematography, with its rich, dark interiors and mountains painted on glass, is among the most beautiful in film. [09 Mar 2020]
This is a landmark of Hollywood-on-Thames trompe-l’oeil.
The cast has been well chosen, but Kerr gets only occasional opportunities to reveal her talents.
By Staff (Not Credited)
FULL REVIEW
A major cult film, but a bit much, to put it mildly. [23 Sep 1991, p.F12]
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 10 User Ratings
6.2
50% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
40% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
10% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 10 User Ratings
6.2
50% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
40% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
10% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
The colonial mindset and white supremacy of the British are evident throughout. Should have done more research into Indian culture before making a movie set in the British Raj (not to mention the stereotypes). It is pathetic that even Indian characters are played by white people.
Report
Production Company
The Archers,
Independent Producers
Release Date Dec 1, 1947
Duration 1 h 41 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
Tagline Exquisite Yearning ! . . . Exotic Living ! High in a hidden mountain village of a strange land and extravagant dreams and desires become exciting realities !
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations