Black Narcissus

[Maralyn]

Originally Posted by Steve Crook One of, but they made so many masterpieces My favourite scene is in the first "Irish Idyll" flashback where Clodagh is fishing in the lough. She's standing in the water in thigh high waders, wearing a gingham shirt and with her lovely red hair blowing free. But gorgeous as she is, what I really like is the light sparkling on the rippling water. If you see that on a huge screen so that if fills your field of view, it's just stunning Steve

Yes Gorgeous isn't it! And know I'm not on the turn!!

Maralyn

[christoph404]

"Black Narcissus" my favourite P&P film, and in my opinion the most visually stunning technicolor film ever made. I never tire of watching it

[Nita St. James]

Originally Posted by christoph404 "Black Narcissus" my favourite P&P film, and in my opinion the most visually stunning technicolor film ever made. I never tire of watching it

I am a real sucker for The Red Shoes, it was quite stunning visually too.

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by Nita St. James I am a real sucker for The Red Shoes, it was quite stunning visually too.

How far into the Pacific Northwest are you Nita? Did you see that they showed Black Narcissus at the Seattle Art Museum on 22 January?

Thelma Schoonmaker (Michael Powell's widow and Martin Scorsese's multi Oscar winning editor) introduced it along with the less well known Bluebeard's Castle that Powell did for German TV.

As for The Red Shoes, another stunning piece of work, also filmed by the wonderful Jack Cardiff. But as I said above, Powell & Pressburger did make quite a few masterpieces and it is sometimes hard to choose between them. Although the one that does it the most and the best for me is A Matter of Life and Death.

Steve

[Nita St. James]

Originally Posted by Steve Crook How far into the Pacific Northwest are you Nita? Did you see that they showed Black Narcissus at the Seattle Art Museum on 22 January? Thelma Schoonmaker (Michael Powell's widow and Martin Scorsese's multi Oscar winning editor) introduced it along with the less well known Bluebeard's Castle that Powell did for German TV. As for The Red Shoes, another stunning piece of work, also filmed by the wonderful Jack Cardiff. But as I said above, Powell & Pressburger did make quite a few masterpieces and it is sometimes hard to choose between them. Although the one that does it the most and the best for me is A Matter of Life and Death. Steve

I missed that.

I am about 45 miles from Seattle.

That would have been a grand evening indeed, to see that on the big screen.

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by Nita St. James I missed that. I am about 45 miles from Seattle. That would have been a grand evening indeed, to see that on the big screen.

Shame, Thelma always makes it an interesting evening.

Keep an eye on the Powell & Pressburger web site. That's where I put the list of forthcoming events - when I get to hear of them. Mind you, I do get to hear about most of them. With all the people here and all the people in the P&P email group, there's not a lot that escapes our notice and attention

Steve

[Nita St. James]

Originally Posted by Steve Crook Shame, Thelma always makes it an interesting evening. Keep an eye on the Powell & Pressburger web site. That's where I put the list of forthcoming events - when I get to hear of them. Mind you, I do get to hear about most of them. With all the people here and all the people in the P&P email group, there's not a lot that escapes our notice and attention Steve

Oh yes atleast I have seen interviews with the woman, she is fascinating, and she really knows her stuff. I'll keep an eye on that website. I didn't know anything about this at the time. I never read the Seattle papers much.

I must say that I am on several other movie forums, and this Forum is just wonderful. I really feel like I have finally found alot of people that love the same movies I have enjoyed all of my life. Certainly not the "flavor of the month club" as so many other forums seem to be.

Cheers!

[stevie boy]

sorry if this has been mentioned, but Black Narcissus is on radio Monday night. Should be worth a listen.

[stevie boy]

and the film is on Film 4 tonight.

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by stevie boy sorry if this has been mentioned, but Black Narcissus is on radio Monday night. Should be worth a listen.

The radio version was very good. An adaption of course to put it into the 5 slots of 15-20 minutes. And it was adapted from the book, not the film. There were some parts in there that were in the book, but not the film, like Sister Philippa leaving early although they didn't bring in her replacement who was in the book

Steve

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by stevie boy and the film is on Film 4 tonight.

And AMOLAD was on last night. They're doing well

Steve

[Moggy]

Until I chanced upon this site, I thought my thinking that P&P's films were masterworks was an eccentric view, shared by only a few. For drama, sheer lyrical drama, LADOCB, IKWIG, AMOLAD, ACT, and Black Narcissus are part of a select group. how can one choose between them? Do we reach a point beyond which it makes little sense to say this one is my absolute favourite? This is just a thought, as I really can't decide.
As for a comedy, surely Kind Hearts must be in the top five. So dark; so mannered; so brilliant. And the Lady killers.

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by Moggy Until I chanced upon this site, I thought my thinking that P&P's films were masterworks was an eccentric view, shared by only a few. For drama, sheer lyrical drama, LADOCB, IKWIG, AMOLAD, ACT, and Black Narcissus are part of a select group. how can one choose between them? Do we reach a point beyond which it makes little sense to say this one is my absolute favourite? This is just a thought, as I really can't decide.

It is very difficult to choose an absolute favourite and when people do it's usually more of a gut reaction than anything that they can explain with any reasons.

For me it's a very close run thing between all of their major films. I think they're all superb. But for some reason AMOLAD just pushes all the right buttons and contains so much of so many things that I'm interested in and fascinated by. And it moves me to tears more readily than the others. Not because it's sad, by no means. They're just the upwelling of a raw emotion that can't be contained because it's so beautifully done.

Steve

[DB7]

Must-have movie: Black Narcissus (1947)

Last Updated: 12:01am BST 25/04/2008

Marc Lee on Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's film about religion and repressed carnal desires

After watching Kathleen Byron in one of the best films produced by Britain's greatest ever filmmaking partnership, it's hard to understand why she never rose higher in the thespian pantheon. Her name comes way down the Black Narcissus cast list, but her chilling, thrilling performance as a nun driven mad by lust is easily the film's most memorable.

More roles came her way, but, Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan notwithstanding, Byron's talents were largely confined to a string of B movies, after which came TV appearances in Emmerdale, Casualty and Heartbeat.

In Powell and Pressburger's adaptation of Rumer Godden's novel, Byron plays Sister Ruth, one of a handful of nuns despatched to set up a convent school in a former concubines' palace high in the Himalayas. Conditions are so extreme - the altitude, constant howling winds, a lingering atmosphere of debauchery, and a dubious water supply - that a sort of mass hysteria develops, and each of the sisters finds herself confronted by inner demons.

Repressed carnal desires are ignited when the raffish local agent Mr Dean (David Farrar) turns up, catching Sister Ruth's eye as well as that of Clodagh (Deborah Kerr), the Sister Superior.

Kerr's performance, though not as flashy as Byron's, has a powerful intensity as Clodagh becomes increasingly haunted by an unrequited love of her youth.

The strength of her religious calling, it seems, is suddenly in doubt; then, when Ruth finally flips, transforming herself into a desperate, wild-eyed vamp in a scarlet dress and the reddest of lipsticks, even Clodagh's life is in danger.

The film won Oscars for its art direction and cinematography, which realise the nuns' vertiginous eyrie and the exotic mountainous setting so magnificently it's easy to forget that it was all shot no further east than Pinewood, Bucks.

[samper]

By far my favorite of P&P movie if not the best I have ever seen. I hope the R2 new blue-ray will be a stunning transfer above the French relase - which was magnificent also.