Black Narcissus

Based on the novel by Rumer Godden, 'Black Narcissus' stirred a good amount of controversy at the time of its theatrical release due to its subject matter. In a well-known and often repeated quote, director Michael Powell has noted the haunting psychodrama as the most erotic film of his career, where every frame and image is full of passion and eroticism. Except for one thing. We don't ever see anything on screen that could be described as sexually explicit or titillating. Furthermore, we never witness a single frame that would be remotely construed as steamy or fervently romantic, not even an open-mouth kiss. We barely catch a glimpse of a young couple touching hands in a flashback sequence. In fact, what we do see is characters fighting with their passions and laboring to deny their intimate desires.

It is this aspect of the story that defines the crux of 'Black Narcissus.' Much of the heated passions and tension are never in plain sight or located in the apparent and visible. Instead, we have to look beyond the simple, immediate conversations and actions of the characters and their environment. The filmmakers openly welcome viewers to interpret the dealings of a group of Anglican nuns with good intentions, surrounded by a beautiful, somewhat primitive land they ultimately fail to understand. The whole of 'Narcissus' relies on suggestion rather than the direct. It is, as Powell declares, a highly sensual picture where the backdrop plays a significant role in the lives of its leads, a remarkable and exquisite example of mise en scène.

With Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr) in charge of establishing a new convent in a remote Himalayan village, five nuns are tasked with setting up a functioning hospital and converting the locals through proper education and farming. Things start reasonably well, especially with the help of a cynical British agent, Mr. Dean (David Farrar), who doesn't have much faith in the women's ability to adapt in such a distant, exotic culture. In time, it appears Mr. Dean's intuition might actually prove accurate as each sister begins to show difficulty in self-restraint and forbearance, a long-established attribute of their order. As the narrative progresses, we sense something strange about the location and its atmosphere. Ironically, as part of their conversion effort, they are to transform the run-down palace built for a former rajah's imperial harem into a place of worship.

With each passing day, the nuns find themselves slowly lead astray by the unfamiliar surroundings, which is probably made worse by the seventeen-year-old Kanchi (Jean Simmons) hungering for a husband. Gradually, their pious, saintly lifestyle crumbles, and they wrestle to maintain — even cloister — some semblance of the ideals represented by their white habits. Their efforts to control the physical, material world around them are put into equal measure with their traditions of temperance and a contemplative life of meditation. Sister Honey (Jenny Laird) disobeys the medical advice of an elder, which leads to fatal consequences, and rather than growing vegetables as assigned, Sister Philippa (Flora Robinson) plants a large variety of flowers. While Sister Clodagh is visited by memories of her former life, Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron) suddenly turns pathological, bursting with an intensely carnal rage.

'Black Narcissus' is the result of the brilliant writing/directing cooperation of Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell, who later gained notoriety for another exceptional, skillfully-directed film, 'Peeping Tom.' Their collaborative — often experimental — efforts also led to such beautiful productions as 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Red Shoes.' With 'Narcissus,' their sixth production together, the men masterfully direct a portrayal of repressed desires that erupts in an unforgettable climax of frustrations. The women are confronted with an internal struggle to bend the eros, their libidos, their natural, baser instincts for self-preservation, to their material worldview of morality. They refuse to succumb to the things they swore to deny as part of their spiritual vows. In doing this, the film also makes a clear, condemning insinuation on British rule in the Asian countries. Instead of the women influencing and dominating a foreign land with their celibate ways, they are overcome and altered by the sensuous and sensual nature of a culture full of color and life.

Of course, no discussion of 'Narcissus' is complete without also mentioning the opulent three-strip Technicolor photography of Jack Cardiff, a spectacular display which makes lavish and expert use of the matte landscape paintings. Since the background and surroundings serve as important, affecting elements of the narrative, Cardiff makes them appreciably noticeable, invigorating the plot with a series of gorgeous images. Each frame could almost function as individual stills with their own passionate stories to tell. In the end, the incredible cinematography plays an equally vital role in elevating this remarkable film from The Archers, a filmmaking partnership which has influenced the likes of Martin Scorsese, George A. Romero, Akira Kurosawa, Wes Anderson, Francis Ford Coppola, Derek Jarman, Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, Danny Boyle, and many, many more.

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

This Blu-ray edition of 'Black Narcissus' comes courtesy of The Criterion Collection (spine #93) on a Region A locked BD50 disc and housed in their standard clear keepcase. Accompanying the disc is a 22-page booklet with color pictures of the film and features an excellent essay entitled "Empire of the Senses" by Kent Jones. There are no trailers or promos before being greeted by the distributor's normal menu options.