Black Narcissus

This colonial-era fantasy about five nuns setting up a school and hospital in the Indian Himalayas is iconic, but watching Black Narcissus today, the following question comes to mind: to what extent can exquisite imagery and score compensate for the problematic aspects of the great works of a bygone era? The film premiered in the same year India liberated itself from the yoke of the British Crown and declared independence. Meanwhile, Powell and Pressburger conjure up a fictional tale in which, in a lavish palace high in the mountains, white women discover their own sexuality and eventually even lose their minds. While the film boasts an “exotic” setting, it was shot at Pinewood Studios near London, and stars young Sabu, the West’s most famous Indian-born actor. Still, the decadent mood and the repressed, emergent instincts of the female protagonists lead to an outpouring of “oriental” motifs – all thanks to the artistry of Oscar-winning cinematographers Jack Cardiff (cinematographer) and Alfred Junge (production design). Undoubtedly a captivating, visual masterpiece brimming with explosive energy.

Sebastian Smoliński