To my English speaking readers: since my native language is Spanish, I apologise in advanced for any mistakes that you can find in the English version of this post. Thanks for your support! đ
Welcome to âspoilerless recommendationsâ. Now and then, Iâll recommend you a movie that I find essential to watch, but giving you as little information as I can, so I donât spoil it for you, which means youâll have to trust my judgement (which, as everyone elseâs, sometimes is a good one and sometimes is not).
We could talk at great length (we will at some point) about Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburgerâs filmography. About their contribution to the history of cinema, about their outstanding use of colour⌠And, although their most representative film (or at least the most famous) is The Red Shoes, today Iâm here to recommend you another one of their gems: Black Narcissus.
What?
A group of young British nuns are sent to establish a school and a hospital in a remote region in the Himalayas. The strong cultural shock, the climate or the altitude seem to be the greatest challenges theyâre going to face. However, as time passes, theyâll start experimenting some personal crisis that will make their faith crumble, putting their mission at risk. Repression, passions and faith become the subjects the story revolves around, turning what seemed to be a religious drama into some sort of thriller.
Who?
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger write, produce and direct this adaptation of Rumer Goldenâs namesake novel (which was a bestseller in the UK). Released in 1947, the movie has a cast led by Deborah Kerr, David Farr and Kathleen Byron (who gives a wonderful portray of the unstable Sister Ruth). Flora Robson, Jenny Laird and Jean Simmons complete the cast.
Why?
Because the use of colour in Powell and Pressburgerâs movies is always astonishing, but this time it becomes a symbol of the cultural shock and the crisis faced by the nuns. Because the underlying tension that goes throughout the movie is a great example of subtleness in filmmaking. Because Deborah Kerr and Kathleen Byron are fantastic in this one.
But, if I could only give you one reason to watch this movie it would be because of this scene, which is history of cinema at its best: