Lambie Reviews Black Narcissus

Year: 1947
Accolades: One of 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die
Review on Letterboxd: 'Black Narcissus' review by Avalanche

A group of nuns who open a convent high up in the Himalayas with the intention that it will also act as a school for children and girls, and as a local hospital. Slowly, however, something about the place causes the nuns to all struggle to cope in some way.

Despite this not really being my type of film, I found the first two acts rather intriguing, as it slowly becomes apparent just how each of the nuns is struggling to cope. The internal conflicts they suffer, in some cases struggling to hold on to the sort of spirituality and discipline that is expected of nuns. Things ramp up in the final act and that's when the film lost me.

I appreciated the subtleties of the struggles that each character was going through, but the third act throws subtlety out the window so far that everything seems extremely over-the-top. Add on top of that a sub-plot that ends up not having very much screen time and doesn't end up having any sort of satisfying on-screen conclusion and what starts off as an interesting study of isolation and conflict of cultures becomes a bit of a mess.

For all the flaws that the plot ends up having, however, you can't deny that the cinematography is consistently beautiful. Wind constantly wafts through open through the windows, blowing curtains and nun-habits about (but not distractingly so). Deborah Kerr's face is occasionally framed in such a way that somehow portrays an elegance that reminds us she wasn't always a nun. Some of the final shots of the film are rather artistic.

Had the plot remained on more steady and restrained ground, I think I would have enjoyed this much more than I did. If you like these sorts of dramas, though, then you'll like this film.