Black

Narcissus
Film Review

Figure 1 Black Narcissus Poster



Black Narcissus directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (1947) is a Technicolor
melodrama that centers on a nunnery that travel to a remote village high on top of a cliff in the
Himalayas to teach the local residents and house a dispensary. As the film plays out the environment
starts to warp the minds of the nuns and alter their mental state, it is a film about repression and how
this is conveyed through the environment.

Powell and Pressburger or the Archers as they are known are one of the best visionary combinations
at telling the story of Black Narcissus from the Mise-en-scne alone as the whole film is sprawling
with subext and to grasp the story one must notice what is not being said. The theme is pushed by the
technical elements in the imagery particularly in its vivid use of rich lavish colour in the set design,
costume and makeup.

Colour was only at its forfront when the film was released and Powell and Pressburger have latched
onto this idea post war, when imagery was of dark monochrome colours and instead injected colour
to the silver screen, which won Oscars for the art director Alfred Junge and the cinematographer Jack
Cardiff.

The significance of colour is used in the costume design as the Nuns are dressed in white which shows
that they are pure at heart while the village people wear plumes of multicolored garments which
shows the difference in their lifestyle choice and as the film progresses and intensifies blood red is
used to show the presence of passion as the film builds on sexual symbolism, but red also indicates a
sense of danger. Sister Ruths (Kathleen Byron) demise into madness is symbolised by the red rim hue
under her eyes and as the film progresses and the more she unhinges the deeper the red appears.











Figure 2 Sister Ruth's Eyes



As Sister Ruth Bursts through the door covered in blood to tell sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr) that
there was an accident in the village we see her give Dean (David Farrar) a lustful glance as he is also
wearing a red shirt, This feels like the start of Ruths downhill spiral into insanity and sexual appetite
for the charming Dean. Sexual oppression is a major theme as sister Ruth is the example for when
repression fails as she succumbs to her desire for Dean. There is a particular striking image in the film
as Sister Ruth has reached the height of her insanity there is a close up shot of her applying red
lipstick as gone is the white habit that nuns are supposed to wear and is replaced with this mad
woman dressed in all red as her desires for dean become too much for her to bear. As Ruths advances
upon Dean are stopped dead in their tracks Ruth literally sees red as she glares at Dean for not having
her feelings reciprocated, the cinematography shows a point of view shot of Dean being glared over
with red which is a fantastic effect for its time as it shows Ruths anger reaching its boiling point and
her transition into madness in a single shot. Mary Bowen Desribes Ruths slip into lunacy as like a cat
Sister Ruth's passion for a man and her hatred for her romantic rival animalizes her. She assumes a
feline's nocturnal wandering habits and silent method of stalking prey. The camera treats her like a cat,
emphasizing her eyes in tight close-ups (Bowen 2004)














Figure 3 POV of Red Overlay of Dean

Sexual symbolism is everywhere in Black Narcissus It is the most erotic film that I have ever made, It is
all done by suggestion, but eroticism is in every frame and image, from the beginning to the end. (Powell
1947). It is one of the first films that sexually objectify a man as Dean is seen as the meticulous
masculine energy in the presence of the sexually deprived Nuns. There is a particular scene in which
Sister Ruth is seen edging her way closer to Deans bare chested body that captures her frustration
perfectly. Lighting is heavily used to convey the eroticism of the film throughout with warm oranges,
and red setting the mood while casting dramatic shadows. Jack Cardiff, in the documentary Painting
with Light said that Van Gogh inspired him He liked the "anger" in Van Gogh's palette, and truly the
effect on screen is a deliciously ambiguous mix of violence and accord. Cool restraint (green/blue) is
forever dueling with fiery passion (red/orange) (Bowen 2004)















Figure 4 Dramatic Lighting of orange against blue


The environment and set design of Black Narcissus is completely fabricated as everything was built on
set in Pinewood studios. The Mountains in the background, the sunrises and sunsets and the
penultimate bell tower scene were all Matte paintings. The beautiful scene of the multicolored
tropical flowers were shot in a nearby stately home in the outskirts onfLondon and also the flashback
sequences of Sister Clodagh were shot on location in County Galway, Ireland. All of the shots being
completely artificial gave Powell and Pressburger complete control over the aesthetics of the film.
Powell wrote The atmosphere in this film is everything, and we must create and control it from the
start, (Powell1947)



















Figure 5 Top: Actual footage, Bottom: footage
with Matte painting applied


Black Narcissus is an extremely important film in cinema as it is a fundamental example of how design
in lighting and colour and everything regarding the Mise-en-scne can completely signify to the
viewer the psychological functioning of the characters and also take the mood and theme to the next
level. Powell and Pressburger are phenomenal at telling the story with subtext and Junge and Cardiff
rightfully so deserved their Oscars for the enchanting alluring imagery in Black Narcissus.

Illustration List

Powell M, Pressburger E. (1947) Figure 1 Black Narcissus Poster

http://movieposteroftheday.tumblr.com/post/62758810553/1948-german-poster-for-hamburgpremiere-of-black
Accessed on (26-11-16)


Powell M, Pressburger E. (1947) Figure 2 http://offscreen.com/view/holiness_in_black_narcissus
Accessed on (26-11-16)


Powell M, Pressburger E. (1947) Figure 3 https://okinawaassault.wordpress.com/tag/michaelpowell/
Accessed on (26-11-16)


Powell M, Pressburger E. (1947) Figure 4 http://www.meetup.com/CinemaNumina/events/136159672/
Accessed on (26-11-16)


Powell M, Pressburger E. (1947) Figure 5 http://imgur.com/gallery/z107PfS
Accessed on (26-11-16)

Bibliography

Bowen M.(2004). Pressburger.org
http://www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/47_BN/MMB.html
Accessed on (26-11-16)

Powell M. (1947). Criterion.com
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1517-black-narcissus-empire-of-the-senses
Accessed on (26-11-16)