Orientalist fable of repression and desire in which a small group of english nuns go off to establish a hospital/school in an isolated spot in the himalayas. There they begin to doubt their vocation. Beautiful cinematography, set design, lighting. Good performances. The problem is the story, which is melodramatic. Sister Ruth's behavior is inexplicable, except in the context of a badly overwrought gothic novel or something of that sort. The ending is unconvincing, even ludicrous.

Doesn't quite shatter the intervening years like The Red Shoes, but it certainly has those same overwhelming colors (the light in the climactic sections!) and perfect shot composition and mad tension running through. The actresses throw down classically powerful performances, repressed and cold, much in conflict with their surroundings and precepts. While the British recreation (and casting) of the Himalayas is retrospectively questionable, the astounding matte work more than makes up for it.

It looks great, but what the fuck happens at the end of this movie? One of the nuns puts on lipstick and starts dressing like a floozy and turns into the devil incarnate. Or something.

Mesmerising.

"There's something in the atmosphere that makes everything seem exaggerated." Well, yeah: There's the beautiful composition and wonderful framing of every single shot, there's the vibrant colors of the garden, the extravagant and colorful costumes and then, there's the acting. Oh my, the acting. Kathleen Byron with the performance of a lifetime. She absolutely steals the the show towards the end, and with numerous jawdroppingly awesome close-ups, that performance will stay with you for ever.

David Farrar has a line towards the end of the movie that describes the film pretty well: "There's something in the atmosphere that makes everything seem exaggerated." There's a highly charged current running through Black Narcissus that gives it a supernatural, melodramatic bent; early on I took it for camp, but once I adjusted to the tone it became a oddly fascinating experience. There's so much religious and sexual tension lurking beneath the surf that it's hypnotic at times.

Deliriously over-(and-beyond-)the-top and thus both way too much and just about right. Some of the close-ups of Byron were both breathtaking and seriously intense. I also liked Kerr's and Farrar's characters.

A film of incredible atmosphere and emotional nuance. A group of nuns find their faith challenged by worldly desires, fond memories, alien culture, an extreme landscape, and even from within their own ranks. It is remarkably delicate and graceful, but beneath the surface rests a tension just waiting to erupt. Notable for its strong undercurrent of eroticism and the expressionist art direction.

Beautiful cinematography and a hypnotic pace are enough to draw you in. The idea of the clear air and relentless wind revealing inner demons to these nuns is a novel one, which to a point inspires self reflection.

Engaging from moment to moment, and probably best matte work I've ever seen.

Black Narcissus wisely essays on how greater/new experience allows, forces increased personal introspection, the missionary work undertaken by its order of nuns rendered the stuff of palpable mixed feeling - a dual sense of revelation and regression. As these women weigh up the pros, cons of their present lot, Powell and Pressburger acutely evoke their feeling of spiritual crisis, hampering their view of work otherwise prosperous, cathartic. Their aesthetic is extraordinary for 1947.

"Black Narcissus" is one of the most beautifully shot films I have ever seen. "Black Narcissus" doesn't really have much of a straight forward plot. The movie is more about character progression; we watch these nuns, day in and day out, and watch as they slowly lose control. Deborah Kerr is in great control as Sister Clodagh, the central character.I have already mentioned the absolutely gorgeous camera work, but I can't do it justice. This is visual art.

One of the most unique viewing experiences that I've had with narrative cinema. There's a lot to love about it (it's stunningly gorgeous, that it's so witty and compelling, that the style and melodrama are unhinged and marvelously over the top and yet so confidently handled that they're always convincing), but the thing I love most is how these women in confronting their own inner demons seem almost to be possessed. "There's something in the air which makes everything seem exaggerated."

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Great camera work and beautiful colour-use. I like the fact that in almost every scene the wind blows. That ending is brilliant and my God, David Farrar is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. What a man. I do have to say though that it looks absolutely ridiculous, seeing a tall English man on a wee running horse

BLACK NARCISSUS takes the unlikely subject of nuns founding a Himalayan convent and, thanks to the fertile imaginations of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, makes something brilliant out of it. The mystical, sensual, worldly mood (at odds with the convent's intended detachment) draws the viewer in, and the wonderful use of color, the fascinating characters, and the remarkable acting keep one hooked. It may fall a hair short of perfection, but it's a beautiful, absolutely essential film.

A lovely film that has a strangely timeless quality which I guess can be attributed to the setting and the beautiful cinematography. I was kind of surprised to see that it takes on the mood of a (very effective) horror film towards the end!

This is the reason why I love film so much! It's an amazing piece of art and it really gave me goosebumps in the end... Furthermore it's one of the greatest cinematographies ever made. The colors are simply astonishing... Some movies nowadays should truly recollect on how film was made in the old days...

It could've been great. All the characters are interesting, and the storyline itself (an investigation of the reaction of the sisters to the new ambient) is captivating. But, to me, it lacked something, maybe subtlety, maybe a better acting, maybe time so the characters could mature, maybe all. Because, for more interesting that the characters can be, they are grievously clumsy and poorly worked, roughly even. Like a complex and fascinating theme that was superficially treated.

Rather dated with its casual racism and sometimes histrionic acting, but there are still some impressive moments showing through. The genre twist at the end (I don't want to spoil it) is certainly surprising and well ahead of its time.

in an areca nutshell: a beautifully shaded study in subtlety. positives: jack cardiff and alfred junge did a masterful job with the cinematography and art direction respectively, so much so i felt i was inside the palace of mopu. great use of closeups as well. i wish mr. dean had been more interesting and it would have been nice to have some insight into sister ruth. would have liked more from the kanchi/young general subplot too..overall:a beautiful and quite memorable film.

Absolutely beautiful photography, a compelling first 1/3, and an intense Hitchcockian last 1/3 don't quite make up for the plodding, aimless middle section. The film is surprisingly artsy and enigmatic for a film of it's time and country. This is one of the few films that I felt should have been much longer, as the characters were not extremely well-drawn and it was trying to do much more than its length allowed.

Quite a beautiful film exploring the fragile being of forbidden human desires and the excruciating dualism of trivial reason and uncontrollable feelings. Quality stuff from P&P.