Description
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.
Special Features
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, created with the participation of cinematographer Jack Cardiff and director Michael Powell’s widow, editor Thelma Schoonmaker Powell (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
- Video introduction by filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier
- Audio commentary featuring Powell and director Martin Scorsese
- The Audacious Adventurer, a video piece in which Tavernier discusses the film and Powell
- Profile of “Black Narcissus,” a documentary featuring members of the Archers’ production team
- Painting with Light, a documentary on Cardiff’s Oscar-winning work on Black Narcissus
- Original theatrical trailer
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Kent Jones
