Black Narcissus
Directed by Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell7.7100%87%7.5
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.
Black Narcissus Ratings & Reviews
- Rowan KrzysiakFebruary 12, 2025It simmers and then quickly explodes. With stunning cinematography it's a fascinating story told with worlds I really know very little about. But it all seems so simple...did I understand it? Have I failed or succeeded... perhaps I shouldn't have been watching it in the first place. Time to move on.
- cultfilmlikerJune 5, 2025A classic tale of the creation of a nunnery in the Himalayas. A rejection of man’s hubris in “spreading the Word of God” (and also imperialism) I guess I was in a mood to watch films about nun’s today? I feel like the little boy reading the magazine in Airplane! The cinematography is extraordinary. Makes those habits white af Maybe it’s just the brownface but calling him “Black Narcissus” felt racist smh
- David Austin CurtisMarch 7, 2026British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, known collaboratively as The Archers, were a creative powerhouse in the 1940's and Black Narcissus may be the film in which their visionary genius reached the summit of their creative powerhouse in the 1940s and Black Narcissus may be the film in which their visionary genius reached the summit of cinematic achievement. Here are 5 reasons why Black Narcissus is a masterpiece: 1. The cinematography. Jack Cardiff was one of cinema's greatest cinematographers and Black Narcissus, in which he won an Academy Award, is probably his best work. The film is an ethereal odyssey of color and light, shadows and fog. Never has color - especially Technicolor - been employed so beautifully to enrich both story and atmosphere. 2. The matte paintings. Black Narcissus features one of the most celebrated matte paintings in cinema, that of the dramatic cliff edge where Deborah Kerr as Sister Clodagh rings the convent bell. This was the work of Walter Percy Day, another collaborator of Powell and Pressburger whose credits included Wuthering Heights (1939), The Thief of Bagdad (1940), and Brief Encounter (1945). His expansive vistas of the Himalayas are dazzling and feel 3. The set design. As important as Cardiff's camerawork and Day's matte paintings was the set design by Alfred Junge. Junge helped to create the perfect cinematic illusion of the Himalayas with the newly transformed convent and won the film an Academy Award for Best Art Direction. The main location ‐ once the Palace of Mopol and now the Convent of Freedom - is absolutely stunning in design. Insidewall paintings an ambience that feels otherworldly. An early shot glides through the Himalayas and reveals the convent perched on the edge of a vast cliff. It is a miniature filmed against an artificial backdrop but looks strikingly real for a film from 1947! 4. The feeling. Black Narcissus evokes an unexplainable sensation. It hovers between sinister and sublime. It is seduction, hypnotic and suggestive. The location of the convent is unsettling: teetoring on the edge of a vast cliff, the wind The first glimpse of the convent's interiors accompanied by the eerie, slightly fanciful soundtrack almost feels like something out of a fairy tale. The rooms look otherworldly.
- John WilsonJanuary 25, 2026Amazing film. The constant wind would drive anyone mad.
- Felipe ChapulaJanuary 5, 2026“They were the only independent filmmakers who managed to work within the system and still get away with making truly experimental films.” - Martin Scorsese.
Black Narcissus Trivia
Black Narcissus was released on May 26, 1947.
Black Narcissus was directed by Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell.
Black Narcissus has a runtime of 1h 36m.
Black Narcissus was produced by George R. Busby, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger.
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.
The key characters in Black Narcissus are Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr), The Young General (Sabu), Mr. Dean (David Farrar).
Black Narcissus is rated Not Rated.
Black Narcissus is a Drama film.
Black Narcissus has an audience rating of 8.7 out of 10.
Black Narcissus had a budget of $1.2M.
Black Narcissus has made $166K at the box office.