Part of Made In England: Powell and Pressburger x6
This explosive work about the conflict between the spirit and the flesh is the epitome of the sensuous style of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. A group of nuns — played by some of Britain’s finest actresses, including Deborah Kerr, Kathleen Byron and Flora Robson — struggle to establish a convent in the Himalayas, while isolation, extreme weather, altitude and culture clashes all conspire to drive the well-intentioned missionaries mad. A darkly grand film that won Oscars for Alfred Junge’s art direction and Jack Cardiff’s cinematography, BLACK NARCISSUS is one of the greatest achievements by two of cinema’s true visionaries. (Synopsis courtesy of Criterion Collection)
“It remains a rapturous, near-indescribable work of cinematic art.” —Noel Murray, A.V. Club
“FIFTY SHADES OF GREY can only dream of being as erotic a work as Powell and Pressburger's tale of repressed desire and simmering passions among a community of nuns at a convent in the Himalayas. Jack Cardiff's cinematography, with its rich, dark interiors and mountains painted on glass, is among the most beautiful in film.” —Tim Robey, The Telegraph (UK)
“For Powell and Pressburger, the personal and the political — much like their distinctive mix of high and low artistry — weren’t separate bedfellows: Even a marvelously entertaining tale of repressed abbesses on the edge could explore, with enduring resonance and profundity, an empire losing its grip.” —Keith Uhlich, Time Out