Black Narcissus (1947)
Directors: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Honors:
With a lasting legacy of being perhaps the most beautiful
use of Technicolor up to that point in film history, Black Narcissus is a visual feast for the eyes, quietly redefining
how the color camera could be used. With a tale about how ultra conservatism being
a mask for troubled individuals, the film manifested a step for British cinema
in a direction towards joining the other European styles of cinema, a sometimes
darker and more thought provoking style that the rest of the continent was
already delving into. Despite it not standing well the test of time, its
cinematography would usher in new dimensions in color filmmaking.
Black Narcissus is
a British Technicolor drama about an assemblage of nuns while establishing a
convent in the remote Himalayas discover themselves influenced by the locations
natural exotic beauty to question themselves and their commitment to their
religion. The young Anglican nun, Clodagh (Deborah Kerr) is entrusted to
establish a new convent which included a school and hospital within a donated remote
Himalayan palace. Within the rich, natural surroundings, the sensual setting of
the palace’s past, and the attractiveness of the English agent, Mr. Dean (David
Farrar), the nuns find themselves increasingly seduced away from their duties
and beliefs, questioning their commitment to the order.
From the moment they arrive Dean believes the nuns will not
last long in such a location, high up in the mountains, but Clodagh is
determined to accomplish what she believes is her calling. The convent begins
seeing great troubles as the nuns falter at their work leading to mistrust
among the locals. Meanwhile the most influential student at the school, The
Young General (Sabu), becomes seduced by a young, provocative dancer and
abandoning the school and the nuns. Clodagh as the Sister Superior quietly
struggles with memories of a past failed romance while the mentally unstable
Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron) becomes infatuated with the handsome Dean. Ruth’s
mental instability constructs a jealousy for Clodagh, believing she is keeping
Dean from being romantic with her, culminating in a violent confrontation resulting
in Ruth’s death. Distraught, Clodagh and nuns abandon the convent feeling that
the location is the reason for the failure of their practice, hoping to refocus
under new orders elsewhere.
The picture with time is rather lackluster and can fade with
memory, but its award winning cinematography, albeit tame compared to movies
decades later, proves to be i rather beautiful and influential. The film’s
story is curious examining how one’s perspective on the world can change based
on one’s location and how the mind, and in a way soul, can deviate based on that
person’s surroundings. Kathleen Bryon is easily the stand out performance of
the feature, providing the climax with one of the most sinister representations
from a character that disturbed. Above all the vibrancy of the Technicolor is
principle memory of the film, utilizing the beautiful Technicolor processing with
such mastery and understanding of just how powerful the medium was in a time
when color was a luxury or novelty.
Following the emotions of World War II filmmakers Michael
Powell and Eric Pressburger witnessed how audiences quickly tired of patriotic war
pictures and simple stories of just morals that had flooded the cinematic world
during those trying years. The result of seeking out a unique film to produce
was Black Narcissus, which was to be The
Archers first venture in adapting a story, in this case the 1939 novel. The
tale takes an interesting look at how conservative values alter in individuals
when introduced into an environment that lets them see the world from a new
perspective, and in the post war world much of population would begin to view the
world differently. General populations having see more of the world in the past
number of years than most previous generations had in several lifetimes
combined began to shed their blinders to the world and embrace some new aspects
of life as the world through the war had become a bit smaller.
Sister Clodagh the star figure of the picture, performed by
Debrah Kerr, which brought her new acclaim and attention from Hollywood
producers. David Farrar became a bonified field leading man as the ruggedly
handsome gentlemen Dean, whose easy going manner helped in seduced Sister Ruth
from her call as a nun. Featured in the picture is the Indian-born star Sabu of
The Thief of Baghdad fame as the
Young General who becomes attracted to the sultry, young and beautiful dancer
played by Jean Simmons who was on the verge of breaking through to being a big
name in the business.
However, the most coveted role of the picture was that of
the mentally troubled Sister Ruth portrayed by Kathleen Bryon. From the
beginning of development the role of Ruth was the was easily looked upon as the
most complicated and interesting, making it the role most actresses trying out
for the picture wished to achieve. Coming out of the recent Archers picture The Matter of Life and Death, Powell saw
promise in Byron, who played a key character in the picture, casting her in the
part whose character changes from soft and serving to sinister, complex, and
deadly. The performance is easily the most memorable piece of acting of the
picture and would gain the 26 year-old Byron great attention. The only issue
her critically acclaimed performance caused her was a short stint where
producers perceived her as a menacing character actor, a trait she would shake
in her long career that spanned for a time to both sides of the Atlantic.
Black Narcissus
would premiere in the UK in the spring of 1947 to critical praise domestically
and would see international distribution later on in the year. In the American
market the film found unfortunate opposition from the Catholic Legion of
Decency, at the time one of the more powerful organizations in the saying of
what was morally appropriate for motion pictures playing to American audiences.
Their disapproval of secularly influences religious struggle of church figures
such as nuns without consequences was an unjust representation of the church.
This led to the omission of Sister Clodagh’s flashbacks to her life before
becoming a nun as a girl in love causing her struggles in her faith. Removing
this plot point makes Clodagh the moral and just center of the picture instead
of one that suffers with issues along with the other nuns. After an August New
York premiere the film was edited and given its wide American release in
December.
Quietly the true star of the film is Director of Photography
Jack Cardiff. Initially hired by Powell and Pressburger for A Matter of Life and Death, Cardiff was
a camera technician that tested the use of the Technicolor process and was
hired by the Archers because of his passion of “painting with light.” In this
picture his use of the cumbersome Technicolor camera was put to the test of
utilizing the film process in a way that attempted to maximize its cinematic
effect. With extreme close ups, the three strip process gathered a higher
definition than normal 35mm film usually provided. Along with interesting
angles, movement, and the lush visuals the frames leap from the screen.
Extremely bright lights were needed to make the color stand
out with extreme detail, leading to the decision to film the entire picture at
London’s Pinewood Studios instead traveling the entire crew to India to the surprise
of the entire staff. Large matte paintings, and wonderful use of miniatures
would recreate the experience of India’s natural beauty and by filming the picture
entirely within the confines of the studio, with the exception of one location
of lush greenery just miles away, the light is uniform, presenting a singular
look that brings the picture together cleanly.
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| A simple shot of flowers were so bright and colorful at the time it brought awe to audiences |
The colors are vibrant, the detail rich, and the special
effects nearly invisible to the untrained eye. The critical acclaim would skyrocket
Jack Cardiff into being the greatest cinematographer in the business for a
time, resulting in an Academy Award and Golden Globe for his cinematography, as
a well as a Best Art Direction Oscar for Alfred Judge for his recreation of the
far reaches of the Himalayas.
English audiences of the period would get a unique
perspective from the picture as shortly after its release India received its
independence for the British Empire. With the closing shots of the picture where
the nuns leave the land with a sense of failure to understand the culture and
their role in it the film gave British audiences a sense of Britain leaving
India. The film’s plot in a way paralleled Britain’s misunderstanding of their
relationship with the nation.
Black Narcissus is
a beautiful picture to watch with a slow and somewhat thought provoking story.
It does not translate as well as it did to audiences of its time, but it
remains a capsule of a time period when the world was slightly different. Its
legacy is seen in Jack Cardiff’s work on bringing such vivid imagery to the
screen with special effects that made a dusty studio backlot look like a far
off region of the world, effects that would be unparalleled in realism for
decades.
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