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Black Narcissus

1947

Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Deborah Kerr, Sabu, David Farrar, Flora Robson ...

7.2

3,477

Drama Five young British nuns are invited to move to a windy "palace", former house of the concubines of an old general, in the top of a mountain in Mopu, Himalaya, to raise the convent of Saint Faith Order, a school for children and girls, and an infirmary for the local dwellers. Sister Clodagh is assigned as the superior sister, and her liaison with civilization is the rude government agent Mr. Dean. The lonely and exotic place and the ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	The New York Times	"A curiously fascinating psychological study of the physical and spiritual tribulations that over-whelm five Protestant missionary nuns"	POS
United States	Noel Murray AV Club	"It remains a rapturous, near-indescribable work of cinematic art"	POS
United States	Variety	"The production and camerawork atone for minor lapses in the story, Jack Cardiff’s photography being outstanding. The cast has been well chosen"	POS
United States	Dave Kehr Chicago Reader	"Films on this subject are generally solemn and naive, but director Michael Powell and writer Emeric Pressburger bring wit and intelligence to it"	POS
United Kingdom	Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"It's an all-time top 10 favourite of mine (...) The studio sets and backdrops are superbly and still convincingly rendered, and the film looks more beautiful than ever (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	James Berardinelli ReelViews	"One of my problems with 'Black Narcissus' is that I never found the characters credible (...) The film’s true star is the setting (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"	NEU
United States	Michael Mirasol rogerebert.com	"I like to view it as a film ahead of its time, daring enough to look puritanical figures that are in truth as frail as anyone"	POS
United Kingdom	William Thomas Empire	"Sexual tension hangs in the air as the wind blows and native drums beat, but it's on a visual level that the film excels (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS

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