X
  • 1947
  • Not Rated
  • Universal Pictures
  • 1 h 41 m
  • 1947
  • Not Rated
  • Universal Pictures
  • 1 h 41 m

Summary A group of nuns 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.

Directed By: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Written By: Rumer Godden, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

  • 1947
  • Not Rated
  • Universal Pictures
  • 1 h 41 m
  • 1947
  • Not Rated
  • Universal Pictures
  • 1 h 41 m

Black Narcissus

Metascore Universal Acclaim Based on 15 Critic Reviews
must-see
86
User Score Mixed or Average Based on 9 User Ratings
5.9
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary A group of nuns 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.

Directed By: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Written By: Rumer Godden, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 15 Critic Reviews
86
93% Positive
14 Reviews
7% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 15 Critic Reviews
86
93% Positive
14 Reviews
7% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
Black Narcissus has an erotic charge that's to this day been so often lacking in British cinema.
FULL REVIEW
100
Black Narcissus impishly keeps watch over the Archers’ canon with a sunken, rabidly prismatic eye.
By Joseph Jon Lanthier FULL REVIEW
100
The co-directors created from Rumer Godden's novel an extraordinary melodrama of repressed love and Forsterian Englishness - or rather Irishness - coming unglued in the vertiginous landscape of South Asia.
By Peter Bradshaw FULL REVIEW
90
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. [09 Mar 2020]
By Tim Robey FULL REVIEW
90
This is a landmark of Hollywood-on-Thames trompe-l’oeil.
By Michael Sragow FULL REVIEW
70
The cast has been well chosen, but Kerr gets only occasional opportunities to reveal her talents.
FULL REVIEW
60
A major cult film, but a bit much, to put it mildly. [23 Sep 1991, p.F12]
By Kevin Thomas FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 9 User Ratings
5.9
44% Positive
4 Ratings
44% Mixed
4 Ratings
11% Negative
1 Rating

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 9 User Ratings
5.9
44% Positive
4 Ratings
44% Mixed
4 Ratings
11% Negative
1 Rating

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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Production Company The Archers, Independent Producers
Release Date Dec 1, 1947
Duration 1 h 41 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
Tagline Exquisite Yearning ! . . . Exotic Living ! High in a hidden mountain village of a strange land and extravagant dreams and desires become exciting realities !
View All Details

Awards

Academy Awards, USA
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations

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