Black Narcissus

[Steve Crook]

Cheers Steve, strange what being 'rejected in love' can do to people!, the scenes by the Lake have come back to me if not the dialogue



I guess if Con had really loved her he would have asked Clodagh to go with him, or did he?

Apparently not

He gave her a nice brooch when they went out carol singing (2nd flashback) and she was already trying on her grandmother's emeralds that were going to be given to her when they married - but it appears that he never asked her.



I think the first flashback is one of the most beautiful scenes in the film. Try to see it projected onto a full sized screen so that it fills your field of view and you'll see what I mean. That's how it was made to be seen. You have Clodah standing in the lough (Irish for loch) dressed in thigh high waders and a gingham shirt. But beautiful though she is with her red hair, it's the water itself and the light on the water that is really the best bit. The way the light reflects off the ripples in the water is simply stunning



Steve

[samper]

Nice to see Judith in full wimple

Great film, great locations, West Sussex never looked better



And the late lamented Kathleen Byron's best performance by a country mile

(All the others were great as well)



Steve

Oh no - I missed the passing of my English bell.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/...byron-obituary



What sad news. How close was Kathleen and Michael?

[Steve Crook]

Oh no - I missed the passing of my English bell.

Obituary: Black Narcissus actor Kathleen Byron | Film | guardian.co.uk


What sad news. How close was Kathleen and Michael?

Very close, particularly while they were having an affair

They remained good friends afterwards (he usually did with his lady friends). When they met up again many years later he introduced her to his new bride, Thelma - and Kathleen & Thelma got on very well, swapping a few stories about Michael I expect



There are other obituaries



Steve

[GRAEME]

It was always my understanding that these are Anglican Nuns. Is that right? Is it stated in the film? There is no Father Confessor around is there?



If so, would the film have been in anyway different had they been Catholic?

[CaptainWaggett]

It was always my understanding that these are Anglican Nuns. Is that right? Is it stated in the film? There is no Father Confessor around is there?

If so, would the film have been in anyway different had they been Catholic?

They are in the book though I'm not sure what in the film is specifically Anglican(surely most audiences would assume that Sister Clodagh was Catholic). Rume Godden converted to Catholicism in the 1940s I think (after writing BN anyway I believe) and In This House of Brede is definitely about Catholic nuns. No idea what the differences would be - maybe Sister Ruth would have confessed her naughty thoughts about Mr Dean?

[wellendcanons]

Black Narcissus is one of my favourite films of all-time. The beautiful colours and the breathtaking scenery are so visually stunning and Kathleen Byron's disturbing descent into madness are for me the high points in this film.



Kathleen's iconic image as you see her appear at the bell tower behind Deborah Kerr is an amazing screen image in cinema history. She looks hauntingly sexy. I still feel strangely uneasy when I see that scene today. It's brilliant!



It's a great shame Kathleen is no longer with us.



Wellendcanons.

[Steve Crook]

Black Narcissus is one of my favourite films of all-time. The beautiful colours and the breathtaking scenery are so visually stunning and Kathleen Byron's disturbing descent into madness are for me the high points in this film.

Kathleen's iconic image as you see her appear at the bell tower behind Deborah Kerr is an amazing screen image in cinema history. She looks hauntingly sexy. I still feel strangely uneasy when I see that scene today. It's brilliant!

It's a great shame Kathleen is no longer with us.

Wellendcanons.

When we met her she said that the striking aspect of the "death's head" image was mainly due to the make-up and Jack Cardiff's lighting and camera work. She just stood there



Steve

[wellendcanons]

When we met her she said that the striking aspect of the "death's head" image was mainly due to the make-up and Jack Cardiff's lighting and camera work. She just stood there
Steve

Yes I must admit, the make-up and lighting was what made it such a brilliant scene. It was just so perfect. That's not to take anything away from Kathleen. She looked scary. . . and sexy. . . in that marvellous iconic scene. I love it!



Thanks for posting a caption Steve.



Wellendcanons.

[stevie boy]

When we met her she said that the striking aspect of the "death's head" image was mainly due to the make-up and Jack Cardiff's lighting and camera work. She just stood there







Steve

That is an image that could have been taken yesterday, stunning and timeless. Steve have you any photos of the great lady when you met her??

[Lord Brett]

My God - Powell and Pressberger invented Goth!

[Steve Crook]

That is an image that could have been taken yesterday, stunning and timeless. Steve have you any photos of the great lady when you met her??

Just one, and it was taken quickly (with her permission) on my old camera when the battery wasn't at its peak.







Kathleen on the left of course.



But after she'd signed my AMOLAD book we were more interested in chatting to her than taking pictures



Steve

[Mark O]

Nice you got to meet Kathleen Steve, i know as well as BN she worked with my beloved Judith Furse on 'Sky west and crooked', wish i've of had the chance to meet her!



I watch 'Saving Private Ryan' for the very first time recently, it was good that Steven Spielberg rated her so highly that he asked her to play 'Mom' in the present day scenes.

[Steve Crook]

Nice you got to meet Kathleen Steve, i know as well as BN she worked with my beloved Judith Furse on 'Sky west and crooked', wish i've of had the chance to meet her!

I watch 'Saving Private Ryan' for the very first time recently, it was good that Steven Spielberg rated her so highly that he asked her to play 'Mom' in the present day scenes.

Apart from the sterling work she did for Powell and Pressburger in Black Narcissus, The Small Back Room and the small roles in A Matter of Life and Death and The Silver Fleet, Kathleen Byron's record in films isn't generally anything to shout about.



After Black Narcissus directors could only see her as a crazy woman and she was offered variations on that in quite a few films. She also did a lot of very bad films like Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood (1969).



She admits to having been "difficult" for some years



But one other film that I do like her in, and which is a good film although it may be difficult to find, is Prelude to Fame (1950) with Guy Rolf and a young Jeremy Spencer. Kathleen plays the wife of a rich man and she is a patron of the arts, making sure everyone is aware of her patronage.



They discover that the son of a poor Italian family is a musical genius and they persuade the family to let them adopt him and give them the training he needs to perform in public. But Kathleen's character keeps trying to control the boy too much and he's not happy.



Steve

[GRAEME]

Apologies if this has been asked before (I may even have asked it before ):



What is the correct form (and meaning) of the title the natives give to the nuns? It sounds like "lemony"...

[Steve Crook]

Apologies if this has been asked before (I may even have asked it before ):



What is the correct form (and meaning) of the title the natives give to the nuns? It sounds like "lemony"...

In Rumer Godden's book she spells it "Lemini"

I am told that it means "Sister" in Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu) and is a polite form of address used by women and children to women in authority.



Steve