Review of Black Narcissus (1947) by Adrian B — 08 Jan 2011
With a tremendous and sadly not Oscar nominated performance by Deborrah Kerr, Black Narcissus is visually extravagant and an unbelievably tragic masterpiece. It is one of technicolour greats to come out in the latter half the 1940's produced by Pressburger and Powell (the other one being the lavish Red Shoes).
The film revolves around a nun, played by Deborrah Kerr in probably her finest role ever, who is ordered to lead a convent in what looks like the Himalayas, but sadly it comes with many costs, including one of the nuns going balistic.
The supporting cast is very good, including Farrar (who had faint similarity for some reason to the acting of Peter O'toole in Lawrence of Arabia), Sabu, and the somewhat frightening looking Jean Simmons (who does not speak a word in the whole film).
With the Red Shoes, it is one of two technicolour masterpieces from the 1940's that does not only rely on visuals to succeed, but also a strong plot. It is also probably the best film to revolve around nuns.
This review of Black Narcissus (1947) was written by Adrian B on 08 Jan 2011.
Black Narcissus has generally received very positive reviews.
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