Black Narcissus (1947)

Watched on DVD 6/6/09
Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger

Location, Location, Location. Overbearing property obsessed cretins will spout this phrase thinking it makes them look like savvy business entrepreneurs. It doesn't. In film though, sometimes location is all that is needed. Here, the setting acts as the main character. Now, I know that his film was shot entirely in London but the landscape shots are breath-taking - I can only imagine the reception they would have received on the big screen in 1947.

Watching with modern sensibilities, the portrayal of the native people of the mountains and the fact that three of the main characters are "blacked up" English actors is unquestionably racist. I don't know enough about the standards of the time to definitively judge but Breakfast at Tiffany's featured Mickey Rooney as a Japanese man in 1961. The lack of available actors in post-war London could also be held as an excuse.

The most striking aspect of the film for me is the reversal of the usual sex symbol. The nuns are covered completely with only their faces to identify them, David Farrer, on the other hand, is in a state of constant undress. We first see him sitting cross-legged in shorts and unbuttoned shirt. There is no mistaking who the femme fatale is here.

Truth be told, the plot is less than gripping and the atmosphere of impending doom is more spoken about than adequately depicted. The skills of the directors are fully publicised though: meticulous shots are made to look easy and the transformation of a character is entirely convincing.

Rating - 76/100