Black Narcissus

B+

Directed by Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell

Pressburger and Powell's tale of nuns gone wild in the Himalayas is noted more for its gorgeous cinematography than its plot line, but "Black Narcissus" rendering of the age old battle between the spirit and the flesh contains a number of insightful nuggets into not only the nagging desires of men and the relentless temptations of pleasure but also the importance and place and space in shaping individuals.

Sister Clodagh and four other of her fellow sisters are sent to establish a convent/hostpital/girls school for the inhabitants of a remote village in the Himilayan mountains. When they arrive, they are met by hunky, misbehaved Mr. Dean whose sex appeal is undeniable though I'm not sure how and why he ended up living in such a remote area of the world in the middle of the twentieth century. I guess the Brits have always been an adventurous lot...
Regardless, the sisters are soon faced with a number of difficulties as they all try to keep busy in the windswept, secluded convent while not giving way to their own desires which, isolated from the rest of the civilized world, have slowly crept up on them.

During their time, Powell and Pressburger rolled out masterpieces at an almost predictable clip. Although much of their success can be attributed both to their concern for detail and aesthetic value of their films ("Black Narcissus" and "The Red Shoes" often being the director's two most cited movies mostly for their visual flair) Powell and Pressburger's films also manage to deal with subject matter that is timeless and familiar to most viewers. Indeed, "Black Narcissus" examines perhaps one of the oldest dualities in human history, that between duty and desire and between our basest carnal instincts and what we believe is morally right. The honesty of Powell and Pressburger's investigation of this particular dilemma in "Black Narcissus" is particularly moving since Sister Clodagh and her fellow sisters are never painted as being simple dupes of the faith but rather as true believers whose fervent belief in the righteousness of their religious faith nonetheless belies aching desires for the "things of this world." Likewise, raucous and rude Mr. Dean is never judged for his refusal to believe but rather allowed to explain it. As such, the disconnect between sister Clodagh and Mr.Dean is never as large as it seems, their differences explained only by the energy they are both willing to expend in believing in God's providence and power.