Film Review - Black Narcissus


Fig 1. Black Narcissus Poster (1947)

The film Black Narcissus (1947), directed by Michael Powell and Eneric Pressburger and based on the book of the same name by Rumer Godden, can be called something of a dark fairy tale with the themes that it explores and the way that it shows it. The themes are not even shown in a discreet way as they are shown in nearly every scene in several different ways be it the through the sets used or the character’s clothes and actions.

The main focus of Black Narcissus is isolation and that effects that it can have on the mind. The Nuns are not only separated for the local village but also the rest of their convent meaning that they don’t have that many people to turn to when their new home starts to put a strain on their vows. The mounts of the Himalayas start to bring back memories that they have long since forgotten because of their devotion to God. This strange new location, as Thomas Pryor explains, shows that “Religious zeal is dependent on suitable climatic and social surroundings.” (Pryor, 1947) meaning that the Nuns move here is what starts the ball rolling in the chain of events that are to follow.

One thing that is of note is that there are a lot of elements working against each other throughout the film such as the Nun’s home once being the location for the local chief’s women which is evident by the sexual paintings on the walls. However, the battle for dominants that stands out the most are the colours that are shown and they become one of the main driving focus points throughout the film.

Throughout the film the colours blue and red are seen working against one another in a similar way that the Nuns are working against their new home and the thoughts that it is provoking. These two colours themselves are notable for being the opposite of each other with their symbolic meanings, such as red being a warm colour and blue being cold, thus mirroring the different sets of characters in the film’s story.

Fig 2. The fight between red and blue (1947)

Fig 3. Red and blue on Sister Ruth (1947)

The colours can also be seen as an indicator for the character Sister Ruth’s mind set. The Nuns are noted for having a blue sting round their necks that their crosses hang from, this colour chose is well thought out as blue is offend used to symbolises Heaven, so it no surprise to see this colour used round the Nuns in other different ways such as one of the main rooms that most of the story takes place in has its walls coloured blue. However, as shown in figure 3 the use of red round Sister Ruth starts to show her burning passion for the character Mr Dean raising to the surface. It is until the end of the film that the colour takes a complete hold of her as she forgoes her vows and leaves the convent in a red dress and lipstick, the unmistakable symbol of a women fuelled by passion. “As a slash of red lipstick clashes with the bleached white of a nun’s habit to say so much about repressed desires.” (Empire, 2015)

There is even a cultural clash playing out with the colours with the Nuns in their plane white clothes against the villagers in their bright colours. We natural see Nuns in white as it is the colour of purity along with indicating the Nuns’ devotion to their religion whereas with the locals it shows their free-spirited way of living. “He (Powell) depicts the nuns' mountain enclave as an ashen and distant; colourless as the sisterhood's singular devotion to their vocation. The local Indian populace is backdropped with vibrant colour, looking more natural and lively.” (Mirasol, 2010)

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