Review of Black Narcissus (1947) by Alex S — 08 Aug 2010

There is a moment in this movie that freaked me out to no end and fittingly enough, it involved a vengeful nun on a rampage. Iâ??ve seen some scary things in my time but the image of her ready to inflict holy punishment conjures up enough arguments against blind dating than anything else in recent memory.

And speaking of arguments, what exactly is going on here? A group of nuns, under the leadership of one wrestling with some memories and the fact that she is too young/inexperienced for her role, are establishing shop up in the Himalayas in a temple that was once a pretty famous location for harem goings on.

Theyâ??re hoping to turn it into a place of education and revival, despite the plentiful relics on the wall depicting less-than holy activities and a native population that is none too thrilled with their presence.

It isnâ??t long before the location gets to them, the stubbornness of their new acquaintances becomes an issue and the advances of Mr. Dean (David Farrar, who never met a pair of short shorts or bottle of scotch he didnâ??t like) drive Sister Clodagh (the one in chargeâ?¦ sort of) nuts.

I get why a lot of people like this movie and the main reason has to do with the visuals â?? they really are stellar, especially considering a good chunk of them were filmed on a sound stage. No shot is wasted and no details are omitted but the looks can only take you so far and here is where I have a problem.

I gather the whole thing is supposed to be taken deadly serious but I found myself laughing more times than I probably should have. Melodrama can work, no doubt, but the script and basically anytime Mr.

Dean is on the screen combine to form a film struggling to resonate properly with its audience. Well, that and the whole racial implications kind of leave a bad aftertaste in the mouth of anyone paying attention.

And then there is the inevitable conclusion. Yeah, that smile was wiped clear off of my face when the fireworks started but by that time the cast has been thinned out and the ending credits are only a few minutes away.

And itâ??s too bad, really, because Powell and Pressburger tend to know what theyâ??re doing. Then again, there is a reason the author of the book this was based on was not at all impressed with the adaptation (Iâ??m not sure what that reason is since I never read the book but Iâ??m guessing it is a valid one).