Mark Kermode reviews Black Narcissus (1947) | BFI Player

Powell and Pressburger's glorious Himalayan melodrama is given an appreciation by critic Mark Kermode, who looks at the stunning technical accomplishments of its production in Pinewood studios and Jack Cardiff's spectacular cinematography. Watch Black Narcissus on BFI Player (UK only): player.bfi.org.uk/subscriptio...
Subscribe: bit.ly/subscribetotheBFI.
Watch more on the BFI Player: player.bfi.org.uk/
Follow us on Twitter: / bfi
Like us on Facebook: / britishfilminstitute
Follow us on Google+: plus.google.com/+britishfilmi... #BFIPlayer

[@zaneclone]

I'm so glad Mr Kermode gives this a resounding "Thumbs up"... One of my all-time favorites... :)

[@joshjacks2837]

Watching this in quarantine really gave new sympathy to the characters. Simply a breathtaking film.

[@chrisjohnson8033]

One of the greatest films ever made. A masterpiece.

[@peterh1353]

Agreed. Everything works perfectly in this film. A Swiss watch of a movie.

[@mediacenterman8583]

Masterpiece is spot on. What a film!

[@bcarroll5282]

This movie was wildly ahead of its time. Truly unique and wonderful.

[@mediacenterman8583]

From the way it was filmed to the themes explored, this film will always be relevant. Truly outstanding

[@martindeewan686]

this is the only movie that looked like a Bluray when it was released on DVD.

[@erasmushousepublishing6190]

Saw this film for the first time last night. Utterly extraordinary, and not the sort of experience one forgets in a hurry. One of the great motion picture experiences of all time, and why can't colour films today look like this?

[@mrb.5610]

I suggest you watch 'The Red Shoes' next - preferably on the big screen if your local art cinema screens it - they occasionally do !

[@jasoncorbett8948]

Masterpiece. My favourite film.

[@jamesrichards3183]

kathleen byron deserved an oscar as best supporting actress for her performance as sister ruth.

[@jamesrichards3183]

unfortunately for kathleen she was typecast after this performance & was often handed 'nutty nora' roles.

[@siliconesal]

@@jamesrichards3183 she was adored by the camera ....

[@aaarrrggghhhh]

I watched Black Narcissus on TV one Sunday afternoon, back in the days when terrestrial TV was committed to showing great films and programmes. I was very young at the time and the film made a huge impression on me. It was one of the films which set the bench mark for the films I later went on to enjoy.

[@kathleenkinsolving3358]

Too superb a film -- so enthralling and absolutely breathtaking -- almost better than anything I"ve ever seen

[@rabit818]

Black Narcissus is simply beautiful to look at. Viewer is magically transformed to a magical world. With the very dark story on psyche and faith.

[@seanolaocha940]

A truly remarkable film, one of my absolute favourites. One small error I noticed in this video is that Black Narcissus was not filmed wholly in the UK, the on-location shots from Sister Clodagh's flashbacks were filmed in Ireland.

[@Arfabiscuit]

Ireland was part of the UK back then

[@AtheistOrphan]

And also Mark said “Horsham, Surrey” when of course it’s in West Sussex.

[@seanolaocha940]

@@AtheistOrphan He seems to have had a bit of an off day

[@James_RC]

@@Arfabiscuit No, County Galway where it was filmed was in Éire at the time. Ireland ceased being in the UK in 1922 whereupon the Irish Free State was created giving Dominion status to Ireland. The Constitution of 1937 renamed the country Éire and it was neutral during WW2. In 1949 Ireland officially commenced being a Republic.

[@branscombeR]

Ireland gained independence from the United Kingdom on December 6, 1921,

[@drparnassus2867]

Does Sister Ruth really "threaten to topple into madness"? As I recall, she pool-bombs into madness and splashes about in it

[@vilmagaribo3027]

V

[@nanasshi0711]

to think that it was made in 1947, wow

[@russellcampbell9198]

One of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. Genuine art.

[@__hjg__2123]

First saw it on a B&W tv on channel 11 in NYC back in the mid-70s....... it was weird.. Finally saw a great color print on the big screen in the 2000s........ it's was AMAZING...

[@jeanetteclarke9228]

It was absolutely fantastic in every sense !!

[@debapriyoghosh5017]

Thanks so much for this.......I was aware of this but not so much in vivid details.......truly what mood, atmosphere it creates......the Oscar so so rightly deserved for cinematography.....a masterpiece which transcends time and reality....thank you again for this:)

[@degsbabe]

wot a ...........t*at. Transcends all.....

[@Iskandar64]

This is am amazing film, haunted me from the first time I watched it 45 years ago.

[@billykitahama3514]

I first saw it a long time ago, too. To this day I find bright red lipstick slightly creepy.

[@padraicglynn2657]

I saw it when I was in college, as part of a European cinema module, and I have to say the film was very good

[@user-du4bq7bq6n]

I am a 71 year old physician and i love this film because it is thought provoking, in that way, similar to Dr Zhivago. I think there are several themes, one is sexual freedom vs sexual repression. Another is clearly the English trying to impose their views, religious and otherwise on the Indians. This was represented beautifully in the fact that the wholy man never changed. I love the subtlety of the sexual attraction , that was never acted upon, between Sister Clodaugh and the main male character. Lots of symbolism in this movie. For example, one nun is supposed to be lractical and plant vegetables. But she plabts flowers. The mood is captivating. Beautifully done !

[@fabianpatrizio2865]

under rated all time classic..........how low have films become since those glory days of film art

[@Vonneumann747]

Nonsense...another person who cant praise the past without criticizing the present... so many good movies today are made...

[@stevecox7075]

One of my top ten. Absolutely brilliant (despite Jean Simmons in black-face).

[@charliemaguire2210]

she wasn't the only one in " brown " face. & she carries it off too, in 1947 this was not even an issue. we rightly would not do it now but that was then.

[@Stringer13ell]

Im sorry but I completely disagree. Without the makeup KISS just aren't the same.

[@postscript67]

@@charliemaguire2210 It should not be an issue now. This is drama. The essence of it is fake. Fake nuns. Fake passions. Fake mountains. Fake jungles. Any dramatic production is an act of pretence to convince the audience in the truth of the story they are watching. And the job of actors and actresses is to make themselves into people different from what they are in reality. To object to that is left-wing, politically correct claptrap. And to claim special protection for people of non-white races against being portrayed by whites in make-up is itself frankly racist.

[@charliemaguire2210]

@@postscript67 i disagree, times have moved on there is no need for white actors to black face up, but i have no issue with it then & Kermond omits the several other - often very illustrious - white actors who were playing non whites. However things have moved on & to take your argument a stage further i take it then that you have no issue with non white actors playing in period dramas or even historical figures like Anne Boleyn. To me this is a big issue for simply believability issues, i have to believe in a Historical drama whether based on truth or not when before 1950 the non white population was tiny, but let me stress this is not a race issue but a believability one. It would be a bit like seeing a modern car going down the road in a period drama, it just destroys the believability.

[@postscript67]

@@charliemaguire2210 I agree with you that it is a question of believability. Whether the actors can make the audience suspend disbelief is the crucial question, and I see no reason why make-up cannot be used to help achieve that. So I think simply plonking a black actor down into an otherwise impeccably accurately costumed and propertied period drama to play a character who would in that period have been unquestionably white, without any attempt to make them resemble a white person is jarring and stupid. Of course the physical characteristics of different races, skull shape, bone structure, eye shape etc as well as colour can make imitation across the races more difficult in some cases than others. It takes less for a white actor to play Indian and vice versa for example. Roshan Seth played Mr Pancks in Little Dorrit without any "whiting up" and was quite convincing. Michael Bates gave a superb performance as the bearer in "It Ain't Half Hot Mum" (if you ignore his blue eyes!), but is now pilloried for it. Those of sub-Saharan African and Far Eastern racial origins are harder to make up to look white and it is harder for white actors to be made to look like them, though it is probably easier for the latter. Whatever imitation is being attempted, if it is convincing it is ok. If it is not, it will be ridiculous. But please keep politics and offence-taking and outrage and posturing out of it!

[@elliottschertzer876]

A true work of art

[@billgreen576]

Quality analysis as always Mr Kermode.

[@MrGyges]

A brilliant film.

[@antoinemozart243]

Black narcissus is an absolute masterpiece.

[@petrichor649]

I love this film.

[@slw59]

Great movie!

[@tontaelli]

Sold.

[@johnsharman7930]

A case of necessity is the mother of invention or less is more where artistry and imagination in film making produced so much more.

[@CaminoAir]

Are the final moments of 'Vertigo' inspired by / a hommage to 'B.N.'?

[@oldmoviemusic]

There is certainly a reminiscent quality between Vertigo and the end of Black Narcissus - I wonder if that was intentionally or unconsciously done?

[@andrescannell4202]

The first time I saw Black Narcissus, and when Kathleen Byron's Sister Ruth emerges through the door towards the end of the film, looking bedraggled and haunted, like a goth thirty years before goth, I gasped. On subsequent viewings, and there have been many, I still gasp at her brilliant appearance.

[@simonschreyer4559]

The Darjeeling Ltd brought me here...

[@neoepicurean3772]

I watched it tonight, but I must say I think I missed the main source of tension that was meant to trouble the nuns, that being the sexual attitudes of the locals. That didn't really come across to me, probably due to the censorship code of the time. But I knew Kermode would be all over due to it's theme of the doubt of one's faith, he loves that stuff.

[@amyclarke41]

okay 😆

[@TonyPoindexter]

Pretty good woman love you too baby Tony ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😊

[@user-pk1gp7iy2o]

The only flaw in this brilliant film is Sister Clodagh's accent.....she is supposed to be Irish but she speaks with a middle class ENGLISH accent.

[@MahirMusayev-nr6mu]

0:13

[@46metube]

there's no safety rail: no method statement.

[@lionezrsik]

Watched this recently, didnt think that highly of it. Sister ruth performace was over the top, and cringey IMO.

[@Andi45677]

I don’t understand what this movie is about … can someone explain?

[@AtheistOrphan]

Sexually-repressed nuns basically.