'Black Narcissus'- Film Review (1-3)

'Suspiria' was the last of reviews, and incidentally the shortest. 'Black Narcissus' was made previously, and had reduced word count from 1381 to 1177. 

'Black Narcissus'- Film Review (3)

(1177 Words)

'Black Narcissus's role of colour in abstraction and spirituality'

A story about the hopelessness of faith?

'Black Narcissus', (a religious drama directed and produced by Michael Powell, back in 1947), had us following a group of Anglo-Catholic Nuns, in their attempt to set-up a new convent at the Himalayan Palace of Mopu, in India.
We soon find, however, that this place is far from welcoming to the new religious arrivals.... seeming to force each nun to question their past demons and what had exactly drove them to a religious life-style in the first place.

The film was groundbreaking in its time for it's critically acclaimed use of technicolor... Something that is used to an advantage within the films main themes.
Between the obvious themes of suppression and limitation (as evident in the Nun's own lives and dismissal of elementary, biological things), there's also this idea of hopelessness towards the whole religious endeavour. Both in trying to populate the palace (the core/centre of sexuality) and humanities attempt to reach a ‘pure’, sexless and secluded, abstract form… which ultimately cannot be reached, because of the human body and the primal need for survival.

Fig. 1

"Black Narcissus addresses an enduring misconception: the longing, indeed fervent, belief that reality can be reconfigured to conform to an ideal image. Sister Clodagh and her charges at St. Faith are confident that they can keep the past (their pasts and the past of their new dwelling, a former brothel) from intruding on the present, but they cannot. The giddily bedeviled Sister Ruth wishes to be neither an underling nor seriously disturbed, but she is both. Sister Honey denies that one of the local babies is mortally ill and that his death is inevitable. And none of the sisters want to recognize the powerfully disorienting effects of the vertiginous depths immediately beyond their mountain convent, or the pure, clean air endlessly gusting through their habits, or the vast, shimmering distance stretching out to the great Himalayan peaks." 

Colour plays an incredibly important role in showing this struggle between the disembodied world (spiritual), and the sensory one (reality). 

From the get-go we are introduced to Sister Clodagh, amongst the other nuns at the ‘Covent of the Order of the Servants of Mary’ in Calcutta.

Swathed in white robes (Fig.1), and residing in their rooms with bare walls and minimal necessities…. The group of nuns seem to capture this intent to look beyond the human form, and ultimately be closer to the ‘Lord’.

The very palace itself, is positioned on what seems to be the highest peak of the Himalayas… spatially the closest they could possibly be to God, and the magnitude of the world they believe he’d created (i..e the power, scale of the mountains…. And the more psychological aspects, of consciousness and ultimate spirituality). 

Incidentally, space is also used to show this distancing and people's attempts to reach a 'higher plane' both spiritually and psychologically.
As explained by Kent Jones ('Black Narcissus: Empire of the Senses', 2010), such cinematography helps show Sister Clodagh's idea of her own social standing compared to those nun's 'beneath' her.

“For instance, Powell’s remarkable precision with distances and angles of perception is as elegant and ingenious here as it is in all his great work, particularly the continued refrain of looking down—Kerr’s Sister Clodagh surveying the sisters gathered at the dinner table or, in a reverie, fixating on her grandmother’s footstool back in Ireland; Sabu’s Young General gazing down at Simmons’s Kanchi; Byron’s Sister Ruth spying from a series of heights within the open corridors of the newly christened convent on Sister Clodagh and her interactions with Mr. Dean; each of the sisters in turn contemplating the distant valley below.”

In fact the choice of character design also works with this idea:

"Jenny Laird’s apple-cheeked, open-faced Sister Honey is extravagantly sympathetic, in apparent competition with everyone in sight for Best Human Being, and Powell makes good use of her childish face (Laird seems to have retained her baby fat) and crinkling, overemotive eyes and mouth... Powell refers to Furse’s “monstrous shape and towering authority,” and her deep voice is no less impressive, but what makes her character interesting is her need to remind everyone in the immediate vicinity of her authority and capability."

In terms of faith, however, we can see that the Nun's are not alone in this endeavour.... for we also are introduced to the ‘Holy Man’, who dedicates all his time to comprehend the reality he exists, and to reach that state of higher consciousness.                

Albeit, his beliefs may differ from Catholicism...it still captures human venture to self- actualisation, and self-understanding.

As we see though, things constantly get in the way of this endeavour.

At one point we see how the Holy Man was almost moved by the newly established convent, as he was physically on their land. Ironically, the fact these nuns made their views towards ‘The Holy Man’s’ own believes, and endeavours quite clear to their tour guide (Mr Dean), shows how, despite all we try to do to stop it… human emotion and faith (pride in ones own belief) can ironically halt the spiritual progress, and advancement in disembodied/bodiless fields… humans (as a whole) have to reach spiritual understanding.

Additionally, the human body is always anchoring them back to this sensory reality.

They continuously seem to link their outlook with the physical things in life, (i.e. growing plants, and food).

When Sister Briony realises she herself had planted flowers, it shows her physical, human emotional response to flowers had turned her away from spiritual elevation.

Though you could argue, it’s the human emotion of curiosity, and the need for completion/understanding that had also driven us to dedicate our lives to particular religious groups.

We see the Nun's smothered in the crimson glow of the sun, in their attempts to prey and be 'closer to God', something they all feel they have trouble with in this isolated space. 

Fig.2

Though the sky above is continuously clear at times. there are moments (in times of plot conflict) where that space is painted in a reddish hue...or with stormy clouds, reminding them in some way they are still a part of this world. Despite the attempts to alleviate above it, (both psychologically, and physically: shown of course by the place it’s actually set).

Environment plays a vital role in enforcing isolation, something we again have as a consequence of human emotion, (the lack of company, both in the friendly term and the sexual one).

Fig.3

Colour acts as a symbol of sorts for this link to womanhood, and human/animal life… both in reproduction, conflict and survival.

Despite wanting to be ‘sexless’, the nuns do seem to show obvious biasedly towards female gender. We see this in their initial decision to exclude the Prince, from receiving an education… not because of his background (wealth), but actually because of his age, and sexuality. 

The application of lipstick (as seen in Fig.3) takes a massive portion of showing time, emphasising this initial step towards spirituality, and the inevitably return  of womanhood. It almost represents/or forebodes all that’s to come, and all that she is (in rebellion against catholic beliefs).

Alternatively, it's argued the use of red, particularly when Sister Ruth faints, could be:

"a representation of a genuine neurological phenomenon known as a “redout,” as Diane Broadbent Friedman postulates in her fascinating book on A Matter of Life and Death and its prob­able origins in real neuroscience".

Though this scientific reasoning differs, it may also still enforce the idea of the physical body responses, shown in colour, being opposed to higher, emotionless, and bodiless elements of higher power and forces of nature.
There's this continuous sense of conflict between the two.

Throughout the entirety of the film, there's always some element of reproduction and human life… as symbolised by the opening of flowers, the flowers that the orphaned girl used to decorate her hair, and even in the quilt(sewing) that were being made in the heart of the covert itself, existing in the background. .

Ultimately life and 'passion' however, wins over. 

All in all, the entire story seems to hint towards the inevitability of things... and the 'ill-conceived' plan of the nuns.
Right from the beginning the Nun’s are seen in a disadvantaged position. Up against a symbol of passion and prostitution, as represented by the very Palace itself. … and represented through the colourful surroundings/symbolism in India.

Though the very walls of the Palace… crumbling and and grinding off the walls, (almost hint at the fact passion, and sexuality go back right to the dawn of time)., despite being in the condition it is, succeeds at thwarting human enlightenment, drawing a line between the abstract ('God' and a higher power), and sexuality.

Alternatively, the reasoning behind this could be down to Indian's Independence, a few months earlier... and the ill conceived decision of British colonialisation.

In the end the Nun's can only retreat from their plans back to ground level, and a clear head, or risk staying there and be driven to psychosis (as seen by Sister Ruth).
In other words it's good to have faith if we distinguish the differences and lines between ourselves and 'god', as opposed to aspiring upwards, towards him, where human matter cannot follow. 

References

Illustrations

Fig. 1 ‘Black Narcissus’ (1947), [Film Still] Available at: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4791107891_898250b71b_o.png [Accessed Date: 16/11/16]

Fig. 2 ‘Black Narcissus’ (1947), [Film Still] Available at: https://pasteldementa.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/black-narcissus-2.jpg?w=660&h=484 [Accessed Date: 16/11/16]

Fig. 3 ‘Black Narcissus’ (1947), [Film Still] Available at: http://www.theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/images/stories/FILM/graham_fuller/Black_Narcissus_lipstick_scene.jpg [Accessed Date: 16/11/16]


Websites

‘BFI’, (-2014), ‘Black Narcissus’, [Online]. Available at: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/438337/synopsis.html [Accessed Date: 15/11/16]

Bradshaw, Peter, (2005), ‘Black Narcissus’, [Online]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2005/aug/05/3 [Accessed Date: 15/11/16]

‘Colonial Film’ (2010), ‘Black Narcissus’, [Online]. Available at: http://www.colonialfilm.org.uk/node/515 [Accessed Date: 16/11/16]

Davidson, Kelly and Hill, John (2005), ‘Under Control?: Black Narcissus and the Imagining of India’ [Online]. Available at: https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk/portal/files/17865619/black_narc.pdf [Accessed Date: 15/11/16]

Dowell, Pat (2011), ‘The Work of Jack Cardiff, Technicolor Master’, [Online]. Available at: http://www.npr.org/2011/05/31/136717508/the-work-of-jack-cardiff-technicolor-master [Accessed Date: 16/11/16]

Duguid, Mark (-2014), ‘Black Narcissus, (1947)’, [Online]. Available at: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/438337/[Accessed Date: 15/11/16]

Howells, Michael (2011), ‘Behind the Mask: Production Design in Black Narcissus’, [Online]. Available at: http://guru.bafta.org/behind-mask-production-design-black-narcissus [Accessed Date:

Jones, Kent (2010), ‘Black Narcissus: Empire of the Senses’, [Online]. Available at: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1517-black-narcissus-empire-of-the-senses [Accessed Date: 16/11/16]

Lanthier, Joseph (2012), ‘Black Narcissus’, [Online]. Available at: http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/black-narcissus [Accessed Date: 15/11/16]

Tonkin, Boyd (2014), ‘Haruki Murakami, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki- book review’, [Online]. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/colorless-tsukuru-tazaki-and-his-years-of-pilgrimage-by-haruki-murakami-trans-philip-gabriel-book-9640245.html [Accessed Date: 16/11/16]