SummaryA group of nuns struggle to establish a convent in the Himalayas, while isolation, extreme weather, altitude, and culture clashes all conspire to drive the well-intentioned missionaries mad.
Directed By:Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Written By:Rumer Godden, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Black Narcissus
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
86
User score
Generally Favorable
7.3
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
94% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
Disorientingly glorious and thrilling, it’s a beguiling mixture of believability and artifice, of the sort that only the movies can manage.
100
Black Narcissus impishly keeps watch over the Archers’ canon with a sunken, rabidly prismatic eye.
100
For Powell and Pressburger, the personal and the political—much like their distinctive mix of high and low artistry—weren’t separate bedfellows: Even a marvelously entertaining tale of repressed abbesses on the edge could explore, with enduring resonance and profundity, an empire losing its grip.
90
Fifty Shades of Grey can only dream of being as erotic a work as Powell and Pressburger's tale of repressed desire and simmering passions among a community of nuns at a convent in the Himalayas. Jack Cardiff's cinematography, with its rich, dark interiors and mountains painted on glass, is among the most beautiful in film. [09 Mar 2020]
90
This is a landmark of Hollywood-on-Thames trompe-l’oeil.
70
The cast has been well chosen, but Kerr gets only occasional opportunities to reveal her talents.
60
A major cult film, but a bit much, to put it mildly. [23 Sep 1991, p.F12]
User score
Generally Favorable
71% Positive
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
24% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
5% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Aug 13, 2024
6
Insane, bizarre, and beautifully framed film. I really don't understand what happened but enjoyed it.
Mar 20, 2023
6
The colonial mindset and white supremacy of the British are evident throughout. Should have done more research into Indian culture before making a movie set in the British Raj (not to mention the stereotypes). It is pathetic that even Indian characters are played by white people.
Production Company:
- The Archers
- Independent Producers
Release Date:Dec 1, 1947
Duration:1 h 41 m
Rating:TV-14
Tagline:Exquisite Yearning ! . . . Exotic Living ! High in a hidden mountain village of a strange land and extravagant dreams and desires become exciting realities !
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
