Black Narcissus
Black Narcissus poster
Directed by	Michael Powell Emeric Pressburger
Produced by	Michael Powell Emeric Pressburger
Written by	Michael Powell Emeric Pressburger
Starring	Deborah Kerr David Farrar Kathleen Byron Sabu Jean Simmons Flora Robson
Music by	Brian Easdale
Cinematography	Jack Cardiff
Editing by	Reginald Mills
Distributed by	General Film Distributors
Release date(s)	UK May 26, 1947 USA August 13, 1947
Running time	100 min
Country	UK
Language	English
Budget	£280,000 (estimated)
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Black Narcissus (1947) is a film by the British director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, based on the novel by Rumer Godden. It is a psychological drama about the emotional tensions within a convent of nuns in an isolated Himalayan valley. Michael Latham Powell (September 30, 1905 – February 19, 1990) was a British film director, renowned for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger which produced a series of classic British films. ... Emeric Pressburger in Paris. ... Deborah Kerr, CBE (September 30, 1921 – October 16, 2007) was a Golden Globe Award-winning Scottish actress who was also awarded an honorary Academy Award and BAFTA recognition. ... Kathleen Byron and David Farrar in The Small Back Room. ... Sabu Dastagir (January 27, 1924 – December 2, 1963) was a film actor of Indian/South Asian origin—although he later took American citizenship. ... Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons in Angel Face Jean Merilyn Simmons (born January 31, 1929 in Crouch Hill, London, England, United Kingdom) is a British actress. ... Flora Robson (March 28, 1902 - July 7, 1984) was a British actress renowned as one of the great character players and one of Britains theatrical grandes dames. ... Brian Easdale (10 August 1909 - 1995) was a composer born in Manchester, England. ... Jack Cardiff (born 18 September 1914) is a British cinematographer, director and photographer. ... English editor Reginald Mills (1915 - 1990) graducated from Cambridge University with a degree in modern languages in 1934. ... General Film Distributors (GFD), was a British film distribution company active until the 1950s. ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... is the 225th day of the year (226th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The year 1947 in film involved some significant events. ... Powell and Pressburger were a British film-making partnership of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, also known as The Archers. ... Margaret Rumer Godden (December 10, 1907–November 8, 1998), was an English author of over 60 books, under the name of Rumer Godden. ... For the movie Himalaya, see Himalaya (film). ...

Synopsis

Sister Ruth rings the nunnery bell

A group of Anglican nuns travels to a remote location in the Himalayas to set up a school and hospital and 'tame' the local people and environment, by conversion and gardening, only to find themselves increasingly seduced by the sensuality of their surroundings in a converted seraglio, and by the local British agent Dean (David Farrar). Clodagh (Deborah Kerr), the Sister in charge, is attempting to forget a failed romance at home in Ireland. Tensions mount as Dean's laid-back charm makes an impression on Clodagh, but also attracts the mentally unstable Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron), who becomes pathologically jealous of Clodagh, resulting in a nervous breakdown and a violent climax. In a subplot, 'the Young General' (Sabu), heir to the throne of a princely Indian state who has come to the convent for his education, becomes infatuated with a lower caste dancing girl (Jean Simmons); the film's title refers to a perfume that he has imported from England. Image File history File links Black_Narcissus_-_Sister_Ruth_rings_bell. ... Image File history File links Black_Narcissus_-_Sister_Ruth_rings_bell. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... For other uses, see Nun (disambiguation). ... For the movie Himalaya, see Himalaya (film). ... A seraglio is the sequestered living quarters used by wives and concubines in a Turkish household, from an Italian variant of Turkish saray, meaning palace, enclosed courts. In the context of the turquerie fashion, the seraglio became the subject of works of art, the most famous perhaps being Mozarts... Deborah Kerr, CBE (September 30, 1921 – October 16, 2007) was a Golden Globe Award-winning Scottish actress who was also awarded an honorary Academy Award and BAFTA recognition. ... Kathleen Byron and David Farrar in The Small Back Room. ... Sabu Dastagir (January 27, 1924 – December 2, 1963) was a film actor of Indian/South Asian origin—although he later took American citizenship. ... Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons in Angel Face Jean Merilyn Simmons (born January 31, 1929 in Crouch Hill, London, England, United Kingdom) is a British actress. ...

Production

The film was made primarily at Pinewood Studios, but some scenes were shot in Leonardslee Gardens, West Sussex, the home of an Indian army retiree which had appropriate trees and plants for the Indian setting.^[1][2] The film makes extensive use of matte paintings and large scale landscape paintings to suggest the mountainous environment of the Himalayas, as well as some scale models for motion shots of the convent. Of the three principal Indian roles, only the Young General was played by an ethnic Indian; the roles of Kanchi and the Old General were performed by white actors in makeup. The Indian extras were cast from workers at the docks in Rotherhithe.^[3] The gatehouse at Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire. ... West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex (with Brighton and Hove), Hampshire and Surrey. ... Mattes are used in photography and filmmaking to insert part of a foreground image onto a background image, which is often a matte painting, a background filmed by the second unit, or computer generated imagery. ... The Surrey Commercial Docks were a large group of docks in Rotherhithe on the south bank (the Surrey side) of the Thames in east London. ... , Rotherhithe is a district of south-east London in the London Borough of Southwark. ...

The version of the film originally shown in the United States had scenes depicting flashbacks of Sister Clodagh's life before becoming a nun edited out at the behest of Catholic Legion of Decency.^[4] The Catholic Legion of Decency was set up in 1934 to combat the trend of immoral films. ...

Historical context

Black Narcissus was released only a few months before India achieved independence in August 1947. Film critic David Kehr has suggested that the final images of the film, as the nuns abandon the Himalayas and process down the mountain, could have been interpreted by British viewers in 1947 as "a last farewell to their fading empire"; he suggests that it is not an image of defeat "but of a respectful, rational retreat from something that England never owned and never understood".^[5] It should be noted, however, that the story in the film quite closely follows that of the book, which was written in 1939. The Indian independence movement was a series of steps taken in the Indian subcontinent for independence from British colonial rule, beginning with the Rebellion of 1857. ...

Awards

• Jack Cardiff won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography
• Alfred Junge won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction
• Jack Cardiff won a Golden Globe Award for Best Cinematography
• Deborah Kerr won a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress

Jack Cardiff (born 18 September 1914) is a British cinematographer, director and photographer. ... Charles Rosher the first recipient in 1928 The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is awarded each year to a cinematographer for his work in one particular motion picture. ... German-born production designer Alfred Junge (1886 - 1964) had wanted to be an artist from childhood. ... The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. ... The Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... Deborah Kerr, CBE (September 30, 1921 – October 16, 2007) was a Golden Globe Award-winning Scottish actress who was also awarded an honorary Academy Award and BAFTA recognition. ... The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress is one of the awards given by the New York Film Critics Circle to honor the finest achievements in filmmaking. ...

Crew

• Cinematography by Jack Cardiff
• Original music by Brian_Easdale
• Production Design by Alfred Junge
• Costume Design by Hein Heckroth
• Film Editing by Reginald Mills
• Special Effects by W. Percy Day, Peter Ellenshaw

Jack Cardiff (born 18 September 1914) is a British cinematographer, director and photographer. ... Brian Easdale (10 August 1909 - 1995) was a composer born in Manchester, England. ... German-born production designer Alfred Junge (1886 - 1964) had wanted to be an artist from childhood. ... German art director Hein Heckroth (1910 - 1970) was well-respected for the work he had done with his national ballet prior to the mid-1940s. ... English editor Reginald Mills (1915 - 1990) graducated from Cambridge University with a degree in modern languages in 1934. ... William Peter Ellenshaw (May 24, 1913 - February 12, 2007) was an Anglo-American award-winning matte designer and special effects creator who worked on many Disney features. ...

References

Notes

Michael Latham Powell (September 30, 1905 – February 19, 1990) was a British film director, renowned for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger which produced a series of classic British films. ... I.B. Tauris is a publishing house based in London and specializing in non-fiction. ...

Bibliography

Michael Latham Powell (September 30, 1905 – February 19, 1990) was a British film director, renowned for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger which produced a series of classic British films. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... I.B. Tauris is a publishing house based in London and specializing in non-fiction. ...

External links

For the in-memory database management system, see In-memory database. ... The British Film Institute (BFI) is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and... screenonline is a website devoted to the history of British film and television, and to social history as revealed by film and television. ...

DVD Reviews

• Comparison of Region 1 and two Region 2 DVDs at DVDBeaver
• Review by Noel Megahey of French Region 2 at DVD Times (UK)

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