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Features: DVD, Aspect Ratio 1.33:1, English
High in the Himalayas, on a 9,000-foot cliff, five Anglican nuns labor tirelessly to establish a village hospital and school. Yet as they struggle to fulfill their mission despite violent winds, mysterious native rituals and the haunting sound of distant drums beating ceaselessly through the night, the women begin to exhibit strange emotions and disturbing behavior: Sister Philippa is suddenly planting flowers instead of much-needed vegetables. Sister Clodagh is tormented by memories of her former lover. And Sister Ruth has a wild look in her eye that gleams like madness. Is it just the thin mountain air...or has the exotic world awakened passions in the sisters they can no longer deny?
"Spellbinding...one of the most beautiful spectacles ever filmed." The Hollywood Reporter
"Visually sumptuous [and] dramatically charged." Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
Editor's Note
Anglo-Catholic nuns on an isolated missionary assignment in the Himalayas face an assortment of worldly challenges, including sexual temptations and other intriguing ups-and-downs. One of the great films from the "golden age of cinema." Adapted from the novel by Rumep Godden. Academy Awards: Best, (Color) Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best (Color) Cinematography.
Plot Summary
Sister Clodagh leads four nuns on a trek through the Himalayan mountains to establish a school and hospital in a disused palace thousands of feet high on the edge of a cliff. But although the women are able to endure the severe climatic conditions, they have trouble coping with the loneliness of life in such a remote region. Several of the sisters find that their commitment to a religious vocation has waned, and they must face up to the difficulties posed by impure thoughts and sexual temptation.
| Features | Photo Gallery | | Scene Access | | English Dolby Digital Mono | | Audio Commentary | | Documentaries | | Interactive Menus |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Home Vision/Public Media |
| Release Date: 1/30/2001 |
| Running Time: 101 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1947 | | Catalog ID: 210 | | UPC: 00037429152126 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Available Subtitles: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 4:3 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1948) |  | Alfred Judge, Winner, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color | | Jack Cardiff, Winner, Best Cinematography, Color | |
Golden Globe (1948) | | Jack Cardiff, Winner, Best Cinematography |
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
"...BLACK NARCISSUS uses unbearably rich colors....The hyperreal imagery is crucial..." 01/11/2002 p.28Uncut
"Stylized and expressionistic, this was one of the most unusual films of its era." 09/01/2005 p.142 |
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