British nun Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr) is chosen by her order to establish a school and dispensary in the Himalayas. Among those selected to accompany her on this mission are Sister Briony (Judith Furse), a capable take-charge nun; Sister Phillipa (Flora Robson), a nun with a green thumb to handle the garden, and Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron), a moody nun who is frequently sick or depressed. Sister Clodagh's superior believes that she is too young to assume such a large leadership role in a strange place but wishes her well.
When the sisters arrive in the place, they are stunned to discover that the wind is blowing hard all the time and the building where they are to live was once a harem. The Indian Old General (Esmond Knight) who has arranged for them to educate and care for this community of poor people expects them to have a lasting impact on those they serve.
Mr. Dean (David Farrar), an Englishman who serves as the ruler's agent, warns Sister Clodagh that it will be very difficult for five nuns to have much of an impact on these stubborn people who have their own traditions and ways. His confidence and charisma (not to mention his appearance one day without a shirt) are noted by both Sister Clodagh and by Sister Ruth; the latter is so taken with him that she begins to have doubts about her calling. The exotic place and the constant wind lead Sister Clodagh to bask in memories of her past as a young woman of privilege in Ireland. Meanwhile, Sister Ruth plunges even further into her sexual reverie by convincing herself that she loves Mr. Dean, even though he has barely spoken to her.
Black Narcissus is a digitally restored 1947 classic English film directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It is based on a novel by Rumer Godden that explores the troubles faced by a Catholic mission in the Indian Himalayas. Michael Powell has called it an erotic film, and so it is on many different levels. There is the sexual arousal of Sister Ruth who casts aside her habit and puts on a red dress and thick red lipstick in her bid for Mr. Dean's affections. There is the erotic undertow to the verbal banter and disagreements between the English agent and Sister Clodagh. And there is the sexual interplay between the Young General, who comes to the nuns' school, and Kanchi (Jean Simmons), an orphan brought there so the sisters can teach her how to behave in the world. Black Narcissus also is carried by the sensuousness of the cinematography of Jack Cardiff and the lush music by Brian Easdale.
Special features on the DVD include a video introduction by filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier; an audio commentary featuring screenwriter Michael Powell and director Martin Scorsese; "The Audacious Adventurer," a video piece in which Tavernier discusses the film with Powell; "A Profile of Black Narcissus," a documentary featuring members of the Archers' Production Team; "Painting with Light," a Documentary on Cardiff's Oscar-winning work in Black Narcissus; and a booklet featuring an essay by critic Kent Jones.
