Black Narcissus [Criterion Collection]

Director: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Overview

In this unusual, visually stunning, and dramatically compelling film, Anglican nuns attempt to establish a school and hospital in the Himalayas in buildings that formerly housed a harem. But the sisters find the sensual atmosphere unsettling, and eventually sexual attraction to the ruling general's ruggedly handsome agent leads to tragedy.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/20/2010
UPC:	0715515061117
Original Release:	1947
Source:	Criterion
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:41:00
Sales rank:	15,633

Special Features

Video Introduction by Filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier; ; Audio Commentary featuring Powell and Director Martin Scorsese; ; The Audacious Adventurer, a Video Piece in which Tavernier discusses the film and Powell; ; Profile of "Black Narcissus," a documentary featuring members of the Archers' Production Team; ; Painting with Light, a documentary on Cardiff's Oscar-Winning work in Black Narcissus; Original Theatrical Trailer; Plus: A Booklet featuring an Essay by Critic Kent Jones

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Deborah Kerr	Sister Clodagh
Sabu	Dilip Rai
David Farrar	Mr. Dean
Flora Robson	Sister Philippa
Jean Simmons	Kanchi
Esmond Knight	Gen. Toda Rai
Kathleen Byron	Sister Ruth
Jenny Laird	Sister Honey
Judith Furse	Sister Briony
Mary Hallatt	Angu Ayah,Angu Ayah
Shaun Noble	Con
Eddie Whaley Jr.	Joseph Anthony
Nancy Roberts	Mother Dorothea
Ley On	Phuba
Eddie Whaley	Actor
Brian Easdale	Composer

Technical Credits

Michael Powell

Emeric Pressburger

Michael Powell	Screenwriter,Producer
Emeric Pressburger	Screenwriter,Producer
W. Percy Day	Special Effects
George Busby	Producer
Sydney Pearson	Special Effects
Jack Higgins	Special Effects

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Black Narcissus
1. Disney's Influence [2:42]
2. Overt Sensuality [5:21]
3. May Hallatt and David Farrar [3:29]
4. Studio vs. Location [7:37]
5. Actors and the War [2:44]
6. Praise for the Art Department [2:54]
7. Deborah Karr/Rumer Godden [5:27]
8. Ophelia and Kanchi [4:45]
9. Flashback Sequence [5:58]
10. Sabu and The Thief of Bagdad [6:34]
11. The King of Comedy [4:15]
12. Working with Brian Easdale [8:40]
13. "A Simple Color Shot" [6:53]
14. "We Were Our Own Bosses" [5:31]
15. Words, Action, and Music [6:45]
16. A Disney and Horror Film [5:55]
17. Rear Window Effect [4:22]
18. Timing is Everything [5:35]
19. Sabu's Grace [5:28]
1. Color Bars [:00]
1. Credits [2:42]
2. The Palace of Mopu [5:21]
3. The General's Announcement [3:29]
4. A New Home [7:37]
5. "You Must be Mr. Dean" [2:44]
6. Drums in the Night [2:54]
7. A Proper Convent [5:27]
8. Kanchi Arrives [4:45]
9. The Sisters Remember [5:58]
10. The Young General [6:34]
11. The Scent of Black Narcissus [4:15]
12. Christmas at St. Faith [8:40]
13. Flowers, Not Vegetables [6:53]
14. A Sick Child [5:31]
15. Sister Clodagh's Confession [6:45]
16. A Sister Escapes [5:55]
17. Breakdown [4:22]
18. Struggle at the Bell Tower [5:35]
19. Farewells [5:28]

Menu

Disc #1 -- Black Narcissus
Bertrand Tavernier
Play
Commentary
Commentary: On/Off
Index
Movie
Profile Of "Black Narcissus"
Play
Play The Movie
Chapters
Color Bars
Movie
The Audacious Adventurer
Play
Painting With Light
Play
Theatrical Trailer

Editorial Reviews

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the film masters whose rich sense of atmosphere and fantasy made The Red Shoes a timeless favorite and made Stairway to Heaven so strangely perverse and original, bring the same hypnotic touch to this haunting, mystical tale. Based on a novel by Rumer Godden, Black Narcissus is set high in the Himalayas, where a group of nuns have transformed an old palace into a school and dispensary for the natives. Conflicts arise, though, as the sisters gradually fall victim to the erotic spell of their surroundings. The title has a double-edged meaning: It refers not only to the fragrant flower but also to the strong perfume worn by a bejeweled and handsomely adorned young prince. Nature's heady opulence and masculine sexuality combine to unsettle the holy women, bringing back forgotten memories, dreams, and desires. Remarkably, the breathtaking and intensely colorful visuals were studio-created rather than shot on location; the result is a world unto itself, bearing more relation to the unleashed imagination than to any reality -- which only heightens the feeling of being inside a living hallucination. Deborah Kerr, brimming with supressed emotions, shines in the lead, and well-deserved Oscars went to art director Alfred Junge and cinematographer Jack Cardiff.