Film Review: Black Narcissus

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Unlike films such as The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (Wiene, 1920) or Repulsion (Polanski, 1965), Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s Black Narcissus (1947) special quality lies in the fact that it makes use of environments not simply as a way  to translate a character’s mental state on-screen. Entirely shot in a studio, this British melodrama explores how surroundings can deeply affect and intoxicate the human mind. Michael Walker brings out the main theme in these words: “In psychoanalytical terms, Black Narcissus dramatises a key Freudian syndrome: the return of the repressed.” (Michael Walker, 1979). 

Its plot focuses on a group of nuns who are forced to face their inner demons, as they attempt to turn an abandoned asian pleasure palace into a convent dedicated to faith and morality. Throughout the movie, every aspect in this exotic location challenges the nun’s vows and shakes their beliefs. 

The disused Himalayan seraglio, once called 'The House of Women', is introduced in a couple of atmospheric shots as a place where sensuality is predominant (see figure 2. - figure 3).

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When the Sisters take possession of the building, determined to fulfil their mission of establishing a school and a dispensary, the feeling of alienation is immediate. Whilst the local people are dressed in a colourful fashion, the nuns suddenly seems too clothed and their habit too white. With almost every inch of their skin covered under heavy robes that erase their femininity, the contrast is even more apparent when temptation arises in the form of the barely clothed agent Mr Dean. Despite the nuns’ best efforts to make the place feel like their own, it is made clear to the viewers that the conflict is unavoidable. The tipsifying wind that blows through the orifices of the palace is constantly exposing the nuns, who soon realise how vain it is to fight their awakening desires. Additionally the palatial brothel bears a resemblance to a birdcage, in the sense that it lets its occupants peek at the tempting outside world whilst still imprisoning them behind its mucharabies. We are subtly reminded of this metaphor when cage-like shadows are projected on the set, trapping the characters.

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Moreover, the addition of vertiginous matte paintings helps reinforce this sentiment of isolation. Although the sisters can look down on the townsfolk, the remote aspect of their unusual nunnery emphasizes the distance between their vocation and what they are longing for. As the Buckley Bulletin puts it, the shot below represents perfectly “the hard rock of principle against the green valley of desire, the struggle of spirit and the flesh, the high and the low.” (The Buckley Bulletin, 2010)

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One after the other, the pagan atmosphere of the mountains makes the nuns forget their duties. Even the emotionally distant Mother Superior, Sister Clodagh, gets lost in romance-infused memories of her time prior to joining the order. Upon meeting more and more hardships, their mission reveals itself to be bound to failure as their passions go crescendo. 

In addition to verbal erotic allusions, the film carries a lot of visual symbolism, especially in its use of colour and lighting choices. Because Black Narcissus was filmed in Technicolor and the environment was created artificially, the exaggerated look of the movie helps building up the growing tension. “Lurid emotions are matched onscreen by aesthetic and textual excess, effectively amplifying the darkness and instability evoked by the nuns.” (Adam Bagatavicius, 2012) Although the story starts off with cold tones varying from green to blue, an alarming red, synonymous of blood and arousal, is progressively spilled onto the picture. First making its way on the feverish eyes of the sickly Sister Ruth and her blood-covered uniform, it then appears on everything associated with sensuality, vice and danger: from Kanchi’s extravagant outfit to Ruth suggestive lipstick application. When the film takes a dramatic turn, the light itself becomes fuelled with fiery red and orange. This efficiently underlines the climate of insecurity within the last act, where the spectators are left uncertain as to what time of the night it is.

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In the small hours, Ruth, consumed with lust, completes her transformation from reserved nun to femme fatale by putting on a carnal evening dress, spreading panic amongst her sisters. When rejected by the lascivious Mr Dean, her jealousy for Clodagh eventually turns her into a feline predator. The screen being tinted with a bloody red (see figure 8.), when we enter the character’s point of view, makes her intentions obvious: if she can’t get her love interest, she must still come out of Clodagh’s shadow. Stalking her prey behind a lattice, the morning light cut out Ruth’s eyes from the darkness in a suspenseful, voyeuristic fashion. As she steps out of the bell tower, the ex-nun becomes the embodiment of the ‘going native’ concept, her hair wild and her dress almost black. A choreographed confrontation between the two rivals follows, resulting in Ruth’s lethal fall in the abyss of her own torments. 

The film concludes after this tragic yet cathartic experience: the remaining nuns set off, leaving behind the mountains that have returned to their natural colours. We get a last glimpse of the distressing Mopu before it disappears under a screen of fog, casting doubt on the reality of the events we just witnessed.

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Bibliography

Bagatavicius, A. (Winter, 1978-1979) Bloodcurdling Holiness in Black Narcissus.
At: http://offscreen.com/view/holiness_in_black_narcissus (Accessed on 16/11/14)

The Buckley Bulletin. (November 13, 2010) The Psychology of Place.
At: http://buckleybulletin.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=narcissus(Accessed on 16/11/14)

Walker, M. (Winter, 1978-1979) Black Narcissus
At: http://www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/47_BN/Walker.html (Accessed on 16/11/14)

Illustration List

Figure 1. German poster Black Narcissus (1947)  [Poster] At: http://klab.lv/users/mubi/ (Accessed on 16/11/14)

Figure 2. Mopu Palace Still. (1947) From: Black Narcissus. Directed by: Powell, M. and Pressburger, E.  [Film still] United Kingdom: General Film Distributors. At: http://www.criterionforum.org/DVD-review/black-narcissus-blu-ray/the-criterion-collection/707 (Accessed on 16/11/14).

Figure 3. Mural Painting Still. (1947) From: Black Narcissus. Directed by: Powell, M. and Pressburger, E.  [Film still] United Kingdom: General Film Distributors. At: http://buckleybulletin.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=narcissus (Accessed on 16/11/14).

Figure 4. Sister Clodagh Still. (1947) From: Black Narcissus. Directed by: Powell, M. and Pressburger, E.  [Film still] United Kingdom: General Film Distributors. At: http://buckleybulletin.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=narcissus (Accessed on 16/11/14).

Figure 5. Corridor Still. (1947) From: Black Narcissus. Directed by: Powell, M. and Pressburger, E.  [Film still] United Kingdom: General Film Distributors. At: http://filmfanatic.org/reviews/?p=19694 (Accessed on 16/11/14).

Figure 6. Cliff Still. (1947) From: Black Narcissus. Directed by: Powell, M. and Pressburger, E.  [Film still] United Kingdom: General Film Distributors. At: http://thephantomcountry.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/red-and-black-two-powell-pressburger.html (Accessed on 16/11/14).

Figure 7. Chapel Still. (1947) From: Black Narcissus. Directed by: Powell, M. and Pressburger, E.  [Film still] United Kingdom: General Film Distributors. At: http://fanwithamovieyammer.wordpress.com/2014/07/06/154-tie-black-narcissus-1947-dir-michael-powell-emeric-pressburger/ (Accessed on 16/11/14).

Figure 8. Ruth Losing Consciousness Still. (1947) From: Black Narcissus. Directed by: Powell, M. and Pressburger, E.  [Film still] United Kingdom: General Film Distributors. At: https://nitratediva.wordpress.com/2013/02/ (Accessed on 16/11/14).

Figure 9. Mopu Fog Still. (1947) From: Black Narcissus. Directed by: Powell, M. and Pressburger, E.  [Film still] United Kingdom: General Film Distributors. At: http://offscreen.com/view/holiness_in_black_narcissus (Accessed on 16/11/14).