Twelve kinds of taste
Which one are you?
Rate five things you know, from any shelf. Your archetype shows up in about a minute, and gets sharper with every log.
Rate five things you know, from any shelf. Your archetype shows up in about a minute, and gets sharper with every log.
Drama 100 min NR
Rotten Tomatoes100%Metacritic86IMDb
A story of exquisite yearning in a strange and beautiful land. Towering over the screen ... as the mountains that saw it happen.
A group of Anglican nuns, led by Sister Clodagh, are sent to a mountain in the Himalayas. The climate in the region is hostile and the nuns are housed in an odd old palace. They work to establish a school and a hospital, but slowly their focus shifts. Sister Ruth falls for a government worker, Mr. Dean, and begins to question her vow of celibacy. As Sister Ruth obsesses over Mr. Dean, Sister Clodagh becomes immersed in her own memories of love.
Sign in to log this.
Prestige, contemplative, meticulous and character-led.
No profiled raters yet.
No reviews yet. Yours would be the first word on it.
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Taste Buds's numbers.
Right from the start, Jack Cardiff's magnificent cinematography sets a perfect scene for this superbly directed story of "Sister Clodagh" (Deborah Kerr) who is despatched to a remote corner of northern India to establish a school and hospital in an old, cold and windy, palace. Accompanied by a rather curious collection of nuns - Flora Robson, Jenny Laird, Judith Furse and Kathleen Byron, they must combat the elements and their plentiful demons to make their project function - none of this is aided by the presence of the enigmatic David Farrar who seems to bring out the best and worst in both Kerr and the first-class Byron as "Sister Ruth" who treads a fine line between sanity and an almost demonic despair. The story addresses many of the issues of post-colonial India, of poverty, malnourishment, illiteracy and Christianity - amongst those who believe and those who want to - and tests the faith of each of the women in differing, potent, ways. Look out for a super performance from May Hallatt as the slightly demented caretaker they call "Auntie" who dishes out brutality and sagely wisdom is equal, haphazard, measure. The dialogue is clever - there is humour here amidst the intensity,
Read the whole review on TMDBDo you think it's a good thing to let her feel important? Black Narcissus is directed by Micheal Powell and Emeric Pressburger, who both adapt the screenplay form Rumer Godden's novel of the same name. It stars Deborah Kerr, Sabu, Jean Simmons, David Farrar, Flora Robson and Kathleen Byron. Music is scored by Brain Easdale and cinematography by Jack Cardiff. A group of nuns travel to the Himalayas to set up a school and hospital at the disused Palace of Mopu. Once set up high in the mountains, some of the nuns find themselves seduced by the atmospheric sensuality of the place. Which spells trouble as inner demons start to seep out. I haven't got much of a review here for you, it really would be redundant due to the widespread availability of detailed works written about the film over the years. Besides which, I can only really agree with 99% of what has been said about the film before. Is there anything new that can be said? I don't think so, really I don't. Black Narcissus is an experience, a sort of ode to spiritual cinema and a bastion of visual splendour. Some call it a masterpiece, others say it's just shy of being as such, but either way a vast majority of film lovers agree i
Read the whole review on TMDB**_Stuck between the carnal and the celestial in the southern Himalayas_** A group of well-meaning nuns try to establish a nunnery beyond Darjeeling in northeast India at a dilapidated palace-on-the-heights that used to house a harem. Deborah Kerr plays the Sister Superior while David Farrar appears as the agent to the local prince. Based on the 1939 novel, “Black Narcissus” (1947) is a psychological drama with the interesting milieu of the awe-inspiring northern India. Being shot in the UK, the scenery is a well-done illusion created in the studio via glass shots and hanging miniatures. The backdrops are enlarged B&W photos, which the art department spruced-up with breathtaking colors using pastel chalks. While Kerr’s beauty is showcased in the flashbacks, it’s Kathleen Byron who stands out on this front in the last act; she’s breathtaking. Meanwhile Jean Simmons is fetching as a native lass who catches the attentions of the “general” (Sabu); she was only 17 during shooting. On the other side of the spectrum, Farrar does well as the hairy-chested sigma male. The sets, backdrops and cast are a visual delight, yet the subtexts on the human condition in a fallen world are just as int
Read the whole review on TMDBChecking availability…
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Taste Buds. Other media included when they land close.
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Taste Buds
Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Is Black Narcissus better than The Red Shoes?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is the polish hiding a lack of heart?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is Deborah Kerr the best thing in Black Narcissus?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
| Stream | |
|---|---|
| Free | |
| Rent | |
| Buy |
US availability, powered by JustWatch via TMDB. Each chip opens that service’s search for the title. Other regions on JustWatch
