Where to watch Black Narcissus (US)
A convent at the top of the world
Black Narcissus is about a group of nuns who set up a convent in an old palace high in the Himalayas, and slowly come apart in the thin air and the isolation. Here's the trick: none of it was shot in India. The mountains, the cliffs and the endless drops were painted backdrops and studio sets at Pinewood in England, and you would never guess.
Color that turns against you
It won the Oscar for its color photography, and one look explains why. The white habits glow against deep reds and blues, and the light through the palace windows gets warmer and more dangerous as the story goes. Deborah Kerr leads the nuns, but the color is the real story here. By the end the film looks like it has a fever. Few films from the 1940s look this alive.
Stills
Trailer
Cast and crew
Director: Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell
Cast: Deborah Kerr, David Farrar, Flora Robson
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