A convent high in the Himalayas. A red dress. A bell tower with no guardrails. In Black Narcissus, the repression is thick, the visuals are wild, and everything is just a little… off.
Melanie and Ed marvel at the film’s Technicolor beauty and slow descent into madness, especially Kathleen Byron’s astonishing performance as Sister Ruth. There’s plenty to admire — the matte paintings, the sensual use of color, Deborah Kerr’s internal stillness — but there’s also colonialism, brownface, and more than a hint of imperialist fantasy to contend with. As always, they don’t let those things slide.
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🌀 Originally released: June 24, 2021
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