Review: 'Black Narcissus' (1947) - A Troubling Masterpiece

[@anthonyperdue3557]

Years ago a local PBS station played foreign films every Saturday night , this movie was included in their lineup. Every element you described was what I viewed the night I saw it. I also looked it at it with an attitude of post war reaction to what women accomplished independent of men during the war. The treatment women experienced within the film seemed a bit like readjustment warfare by the filmmakers , in compliance with the discomfort their circle of friends discussed amongst themselves. My enjoyment of the visuals shared space with my concern with the subtext I could almost feel , like that of a crawling angry insect. I was attentive to this film in many ways.

[@TengyTalksTVMovies]

Wow, Anthony, that is a really interesting context to put this film into - and it makes a *lot* of sense. It is a really odd perspective and an unsettling one that the film immerses us into. What you're suggesting I think would account for a lot of that oddness and discomfort.

[@sethdylanhunt3523]

FAILER OF BOUNDARIES!!! Perfectly said!

[@richardclay4158]

Sabu being the only Asian-born actor reflects the very small number of British Asians at the time. The big waves of immigration to Britain from Pakistan, from what is now Bangladesh and, to a lesser extent, from India, didn't happen for ten or twenty years after Black Narcissus was made. We do now have an impressive pool of Ango-Asian acting talent and this was reflected in the casting of the recent TV version - which is an interesting comparison with The Archers' version. Not worse or better - but different.

[@TengyTalksTVMovies]

Good point. I understand that times and attitudes change. When you see Sabu and how magnetic he is on screen, it does make you wish that we'd had the chance to see more Asian-born actors on screen in earlier times. It's great that we are seeing greater diversity in casting today, and more talented actors of all backgrounds are getting a chance to shine in British and Hollywood movies. :)

[@mrb.5610]

Mr Dean's snap back to Sister Ruth 'I don't love *anyone* ' implies a unhappy past he might be trying to escape from. There's certainly more to his character than the laid back image he evidently likes to put across. But it's never explored any further.

[@jonathanstein5049]

One of the great movies of the 40s. This classic holds up well!!

[@etherealtb6021]

Interesting review. I don't think the POV of the film is *all* women would go crazy from sexual repression while cloistered, but that these women under these circumstances would.

[@gorblimeyguv]

It is extremely difficult to get hold of a copy, but "The River", by Jean Renoir, 1951, looks at some of the same ideas albeit in a much gentler way. It is also very beautifully photographed and once seen, never forgotten. If you are not familiar with it then I highly recommend it and can confidently predict that you will enjoy it.

[@dreamsofwonderland9538]

Excellent review! I just watched and thinking of making a review of it! I would say the movie is a little dated in some aspects but visually is beautiful, is like watching a painting. I also like Sister Ruth's character a lot.

[@TengyTalksTVMovies]

Yes, it does look like a stunning painting! Sister Ruth is amazing and really gets a raw deal in the film. Thanks for watching and commenting :) Let me know if you do a review too. :)

[@michellebiland5163]

Great review. 👍

[@TengyTalksTVMovies]

Thanks very much, Michelle! Glad you enjoyed this :)

[@Felchenstien]

Fascinating!

[@TengyTalksTVMovies]

It's well worth a look, if you haven't seen it already, or, if you're like me and haven't seen it in a long time.

[@mikesilva3868]

@@TengyTalksTVMovies it's a good movie saw it on a bootlegged website last year 😌

[@TengyTalksTVMovies]

@@mikesilva3868 I first saw it on tv many many years back and it always stuck in my mind. It was very interesting to watch it again.

[@davidcoyote8921]

Another excellent review... 'Rock n' Roll'... :)

[@TengyTalksTVMovies]

Thanks, David! What a movie!

[@traceystewart4257]

Black Narcissus is my favourite film of all time

[@TengyTalksTVMovies]

It's so extraordinary. I'd love to do a proper review of The Red Shoes sometime too. Thanks for watching and commenting :)

[@drdavid1963]

Loved your intelligent review. As you say, the colonials have their own inner demons that they can't resolve whilst the locals seem relatively content. I think that because the film is a fiction and not meant to be a realistic portrayal of a convent in colonial India, it is more a tragic portrayal of characters who find themselves trapped by the choices they have made and despite their best efforts, cannot escape the place where they find themselves nor the consequences of their choices. Your comments on female sexuality are well made but I feel the film reflects the time. Repressed sexuality was a theme that was only beginning to be tackled in movies of the time. From that point of view, though from a modern perspective, Sister Ruth's character arc seems to be detrimental, it was actually a revelation of the time for a female character even ADMITTING to those feelings. You get a similar story in film noir in the 40s where the femme fatale represents the repressed sexuality but is always punished in the end. So the fact that a film like Black Narcissus addresses these themes, particularly in its bold visuals and sensuality exploding out of the screen, this movie was something of a trailblazer.

[@TengyTalksTVMovies]

That's a very interesting point, David. The context of the period is often hard to grasp, so it's good to consider this idea. Thanks for your great comments. :)

[@TTM9691]

Fantastic analysis of this complex, difficult movie, I just rewatched it a few months ago (probably around the time you made this video! I didn't think to search for a review, I wish I had while it was fresher in my mind!). First off, is Deborah Kerr not one of the most underrated actresses? I've never seen her not good! I just saw a movie with her a few weeks ago, "Bonjour Tristesse", and, yet again, she's fantastic in it, better than her surrounding cast! Saw another one, "Home From The Hill", she's great. And I totally agree, Kathleen Byron is outstanding as well. The first time I saw this movie? I thought it was Kerr playing both roles! lol. She was so good, I wanted to attribute her work to the actress I already knew was great, lol. Regarding the imagery, the visuals.....you said it best: it takes your breath away. That's amazing that you watched it twice in a week! I completely understand! It's definitely a movie to return to, again and again. You really peeled the onion on this one....unflinchingly!

[@TengyTalksTVMovies]

Thanks for your kind comments - it really is a most extraordinary film, and one that is worth watching more than once. There is a lot to unpack, and so much of it is in things that are unspoken. I agree Deborah Kerr is an amazing performer, always fantastic in any role. Kathleen Byron should have been a much bigger star - she is a powerhouse in this challenging role. I only realised recently that she plays Peter Cushing's wife in Hammer's "Twins of Evil." I do like to peel the onion when I am able! I really started this channel to do in depth reviews/appreciations of films like this, but after people asked me to do reaction videos, I discovered they received twice as many views or more as these more traditional reviews....I would like to do more reviews, and discussions of topics in films...maybe in the new year. Glad you enjoyed this one :)

[@TTM9691]

@@TengyTalksTVMovies Yeah, Kathleen Byron should have been a bigger star, you're right; the only thing I can think of is she stayed in England, unlike Kerr. I'm sure it was the right choice, though/i love the reactions! That's what brought me here! I have barely scratched the surface, although I admit, you have done a lot of horror I don't know! The reviews are great because I can dip into them quickly.....but I'd have LOVED to have seen you check out the Three Musketeers or Man Who Laughed in real time. I'd definitely keep all of the review stuff as well....either as a separate video, or at the end, after the reaction, perhaps even a few days later, or during the editing process. You do an outstanding presentation, illustrating your points with actual footage and photographs. Anyways, it's 7:30 in the morning here in New Yawk, lol. I better shake a leg and get moving, but I'll see you on the next one! Going to try and watch one of your reactions later....probably a silent (I love all movies, from all eras, by the way, not just silents! But since very few react to silents, I'm dying to see those first. Damn, I've written you a book again. Yipes! Don't get eye strain (or a migraine!) reading my comments!

[@trickstick84]

Hi, this certainly is one of the high points of the cinema industry, in that it combines a riveting story with staggering images - plenty of films have one of those things, but not many have both. A couple of points for you: did you realise that the nuns in the film are not Catholic - they are an Anglican order, like the order in "Call the midwife" on TV (these orders have almost completely disappeared now). Secondly, I think you misunderstood why the main character joined the order. There was no compulsion and it was nothing to do with sex. She suffered a personal crisis that turned her life in a completely different direction. I think a drastic turnaround in life is quite common for men and women, but not so much towards religious orders now.

[@Anna-Jade]

I have seen this wonderful film many times. and it is always a feast for the senses. Highly reccomment it.

[@LilithaStar]

This looks like an incredibly interesting film! Even with the troubles behind it etc.

[@raconteurhermit1533]

Another interesting review of this film kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnrHhHmpg7J4jLs Spoilers : After watching this movie, I thought that on a psychoanalysis level, Sister Ruth and Sister Clodagh could be seen as the same person. I'm not saying it is the same person and that this is how the movie should be interpreted. But it's one interpretation, giving even more depth to this movie. Sister Clodagh was teaching children at the beginning of the movie. In the new convent, Sister Ruth has taken her place. Ruth seems to represent everything Sister Clodagh sacrificed (or rejected, depending of your point of view). Both are attracted by the same man. But Ruth is not a positive figure, she might be seen as the dark side of Clodagh's psyche. She's desire but dark twisted desire. By the end of the movie, we're almost in a psychological thriller (announcing Powell's next movie, the Red Shoes) and the death of Ruth may represent her victory over her own desires. I was surprised that Kent Jones in his essay for Criterion haven't underlined that. Or is it me who is making this up?

[@TengyTalksTVMovies]

Very interesting take on the movie! Intriguing....

[@raconteurhermit1533]

@@TengyTalksTVMovies The renaissance was triggered by the direct exposure of the West to Indian Hindu texts when the Ottoman lay seize on trade routes and they had to directly find routes to India by passing the Turks and Arabs Watch below video 11:00 to 15:00 kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4fPfpKXbdGgeKs

[@raconteurhermit1533]

@@TengyTalksTVMovies The renaissance was triggered by the direct exposure of the West to Indian Hindu texts when the Ottoman lay seize on trade routes and they had to directly find routes to India by passing the Turks and Arabs Watch below video 11:00 to 30:00 kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4fPfpKXbdGgeKs

[@TengyTalksTVMovies]

@@raconteurhermit1533 thanks for the link - that sounds fascinating!

[@mikesilva3868]

Great review 🧞‍♂️😊😈

[@TengyTalksTVMovies]

Thanks Mike! There's just so much in this one to think about....

[@skaboosh]

I agree with so little in this viewpoint

[@tommoore8726]

Good grief. A postmodernist take on an historical narrative with a ton of ignorance. First of all theses are not Catholic nuns/sisters. They are Anglican. Their regards for the locals would have been reciprocated. The review is typical of judging people through a current lense which is out of place. Also, why is it that every review about stories about nuns assumes that what is troubling them comes down to sexuality? Instead, the toughest of the vows is obedience. Which is the theme here.