Review of Black Narcissus (1947) by Brian B — 20 Nov 2016

Warning: This Review Will Contain Spoilers.

When I reviewed Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange", I praised Alex DeLarge's character arc for a few reasons. One of them was because it came as a surprise. When I wrote that, however, it sounded more like icing on the cake. I viewed it more as secondary. However, after watching this film, I quickly realized that surprise should be at the forefront of all character arcs. That was why I didn't care that much for this film.

After 5 nuns (Sister Clodagh, Sister Briony, Sister 'Honey' Blanche, Sister Philippa, and Sister Ruth) open up a convent in the Himalayas, they encounter conflict and tension with the natives, their surroundings, and from within their own group. As they spend more time there, their conflict gradually intensifies.

The film opens up with a promising start. It has great cinematography and a plot which is easy to follow. For a moment, I became intrigued by the film's plot as I wondered where it would lead to. However, that curiosity was quickly nullified. The second Mother Dorothea says the line "Yes, she's a problem. I'm afraid she'll be a problem for you too." as she refers to Ruth, my anticipation quickly faded into disappointment. At that point, I had a feeling where Ruth's character was going to head right at the start. Because I felt that, there was nothing surprising about how she ended up. I wished that her character would have started out softer. The further I got into the movie, my disappointment kept on expanding as my concerns kept on sounding more plausible. Revealing her character flaws single-handedly broke the movie down for me. Hell, even the birds eye shot of the bell tower at the edge of the cliff was enough for me to be able to predict another major aspect of the climax. However, I can at least praise Ruth's character arc for being believable.

However, there are aspects to this film which make it worth watching. For instance, the cinematography. Images of the mountainous landscape are gorgeous to look at. The fact that this film was shot in Technicolor doesn't diminish its impact at all. The shots look vibrant and overwhelming. However, the architectural shots look just as fabulous as well. A wide assortment of rooms and hallways from the film look immaculate with their amusing color schemes and the layout of furniture. Artsy designs on some of the walls serve as eye candy. I felt fully immersed with the environment at all times while watching the film.

Some of the shots appear menacing as well. The shot of the bell tower suspended at the edge of the cliff is enough to send chills down your spine due to the angle at which it was shot. Also, Sister Ruth's iconic crimson lipstick sends a message to the viewer that there's no turning back for her. The film also uses shadows to create a foreboding atmosphere. The scene I'm referring to comes near the end where we see Sister Ruth engulfed in shadows while wearing dark colored clothing. Sister Clodagh, on the other hand, is wearing white in that scene, and we can clearly see her. It's a simple technique, but it helps to create a foreboding atmosphere and it also gives that scene a fair amount of suspense as a result.

In conclusion, this film is worth seeing for the gorgeous visuals. They look overwhelming, vibrant, and at times - foreboding. However, the visuals aren't enough to save it from its predictability throughout the film and its disappointing ending. I found this movie to be a learning experience. I got more insight on how character arcs should be handled. Even though I didn't like this film, the incredible visuals and set design interested me in checking out more of Michael Powell's filmography.