Must I say that Black Narcissus is a stunningly beautiful? This 1947 film by Powell and Pressburger is widely considered a landmark in movie cinematography and set design, introducing a world of exotic colours in combinations and hues never seen before. The films main selling point is that it is visually striking and deeply atmospheric- expertly drawn matte paintings hold up extraordinarily well today. The forbidding setting, tense, exotic atmosphere, and breathless surroundings all combine effectively to create a disarming picture. The colour palette of the film is perfect, especially near the end, where all this tension is released in cathartic colours of shocking red. There are also many scenes where Powell and Pressburger has elected to film without dialogue, and the camera deftly navigates and conveys information to the audience. I have no doubt that this visual filmmaking is certainly not as proficient as, say someone like Hitchcock would have done, but it is still remarkably superb and tense. Beyond the films full technical mastery though, I find there is not much to Black Narcissus. It is essentially quiet a snoozy tale where not much happens in the first hour, as atmosphere and tension is built up gradually. This film, of a group of nuns' frustrated sexual and worldly desires is largely plotless until the last forty minutes, where things come to a head. I also find the subplot between the young general and the sultry 'beggar maid' to be strange. I understand it is there to parallel the sisters' situation by having a case of gratification achieved in these Holy grounds of repressed want, but i felt the parallel and the effect of this couple on the sisters to be too slight. Then again, the performances in this film are excellent. Kathleen Byron is especially disconcerting as Sister Ruth, who turns into a lunatic by the films end. She is genuinely scary in her expressions and how the camera portrays her- as if she were literally possessed. Deborah Kerr also does fine work as their leader Sister Coldaugh, who recalls deep passion for a man she once loved, and is more than credible playing a nun who is able, though unhappily, to repress these feelings. Overall, I do not doubt that Black Narcissus is a technical masterpiece in building up atmosphere, mood and tension. The performances are also fantastic. But for me at least, the plot is just too slight for such a story, and there is only so far an atmospheric piece can engage with the audience. Black Narcissus is a film which is excellent in one aspect but lacking in the other.
Review of Black Narcissus
