Black Narcissus

Black Narcissus

Release Date

1947

Director

  • Michael Powell
  • Emeric Pressburger

Cast

  • Deborah Kerr
  • Kathleen Byron

A group of nuns struggle to establish a convent in the Himalayas, while isolation, extreme weather, altitude, and culture clashes challenge their vows and their sanity.

“The best Technicolor film, full stop.” — filmmaker Edgar Wright

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. — Criterion Collection

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Past Programs

2021

Her/His/Their brain: Sex difference in brain function

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline, MA