She was astounding! I love this film! You should watch it during quarantine! IT's the perfect time to catch up on classic movies! Thanks for watching and please push the "LIKE" button.
This is the most extraordinary film - Tom Moncrief who said it was like being trapped in a Vermeer painting was one hundred per cent right - but you also have the quality of "is this a dream or a nightmare". The nuns are housed in what was once a building for a Sultans harem, the walls seem to echo with what happened in the past, you have Kathleen Byron going mad and even Deborah Kerr struggling with her memories of life before she became a nun. And all of it in the most incredible colour. There's a moment in "A Matter of Life and Death" when the messenger from Heaven looks at the life on earth around him and says "One is starved for Technicolour up there". I think Powell and Pressburger used colour as nobody else had ever done.
Nobody did it better and their film remain some of the most breathtaking ever photographed, especially this one. And KATHLEEN BYRON! Here I go again. How she didn't win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress remains a mystery. I know she was first runner up for Best Acrress for The New York Film Critics Award. I can't get enough of her in this and later in "The Small Back Room", where she she's so subtle, lovely and romantic with David Farrar.
Hi Mr. Hayes. I saw this movie as a kid, when it first came out, then decades later as an adult. On both occasions, I assumed it was shot on location. Finding that the opposite was true was one of the biggest shocks of my film trajectory. Thank you so much for pointing out that it was shot in a studio, not the Himalayas. The power of film, and the power of -- you!
Oh My Gosh! Thank you, so much! I'm honored that I was able to enlighten you about this amazing piece of cinematic art. I adore this film and think it is one of the ten or so true masterpieces. Just for the fun, check out a small film they ( Powell & Pressburger) made a couple years after with David Farrar and Kathleen Byron called ; " The Small Back Room", a romatic love story, shot in black & white, which takes place during the London blitz. It's so wonderful to see these two, who were so intense in "Black Narcissus", paired together in this sensitive romance made by the same team. Happy Holidays! Steve
@@STEVEHAYESTOQ "The Small Back Room" is being shown at the Museum of Modern Art as part of the Michael Powell retrospective "Cinema Unbound" on June 30 and July 20. It would be great to see you there on the 30th.
I'm obsessed with her. She was forever type cast in these parts in the rest of her career. However, she plays a lovely romantic part in "The Small Back Room" made right after "Black Narcissus" and also directed by Powell. He also used her as a sympathetic angel in "A Matter Of Life and Death". She acted right up until she died. She's Pvt. Ryan's the wife in the present day scenes in the cemetary in "Saving Private Ryan".
Absolutely love this movie, saw it years ago on TV and fell instantly for it.. Love the way Sister Ruth tries to vamp the British agent. Also the way the tropical foliage seems to come to the edge off the glacial mountains. Such an amazing film. Incredible. It must have been a hoot to be in the cast.
Steve dear I love this review, however, I just wished you had shown Jean Simmons who was absolutely beautiful in this film and the late Indian beauty Sabu from Thief of Bagdad, they were exotic beauties in this film
It's one of the best use of color I've ever seen to create mood and tension. I just wish your review had been longer. You are so good. Thank you for your amazing reviews, Steve!
Hello Peter; this one was done e in the early days when we were first startinhgout and I may re-do it as it's one of my top ten favorite films of all time. Jack Cadriff's Oscar winning cinematography was such a landmark in the creative use of Technicolor.
Kathleen Byron absolutely owns this movie. As a good Catholic boy, I don't think I had ever seen anything more shocking than when the door opened and Sister Ruth was standing there in her red dress. The only thing that could have hit me harder was if she'd been naked with a pistol in her hand.😄 You can't know how relieved I was when I realised this was actually an order of ANGLICAN nuns. That made it all right😂
She was brilliant and it should have led to a slew of fabulous roles, but it didn't. You should watch the film she made with David Farrar after this called; " The Small Back Room". A love story set during the Blitz in London. Powell & Pressburger again and both actors are so lovely in completely different type of roles.
This might be my favourite film. I’ve been to the spectacular azalea gardens which stood in for the foothills, the entire film is about atmosphere, it’s like being trapped in a Vermeer painting with beautifully gowned nuns sent raving mad by the altitude. You forgot to mention Sabu and Jean Simmons, both young and gorgeously filmed.
I totally agree and loved them both. Remarkably, Simmons did this, "Hamlet" and "Great Expectations" the same year! At the time I filmed this episode, we were keeping the time alotment down, so some glowing individuals got lost in the shuffle. Thanks for watching! Steve
@moviefan19S You have just watched one of my favorite films! The color, the performances...especially Kathleen Byron as Sister Ruth! I love it when she runs through the corridors with her white robes trailing behind her. She made nuns suddenly so sinister. I can't believe they didn't nominate her as Supporting Actress. And of course, Kerr is so real and lovely. Now, I want you to rent the next movie that Powell and Pressberger made called THE RED SHOES. You will flip!!! Thanks for watching!
One of my ten favorite films. Byron should have had the Oscar for Supproting Actress for this. Check her out with David Farrar a few years later in Powell & Pressburger's "The Small Back Room". She's lovely in this tender wartime romance. I think you'll love it. Thank you so much for watching! Don't forget to subscribe and push the "LIKE" button. Stay well . Stay SAFE. Best; Steve
@STEVEHAYESTOQ : Hey Steeve! thanks for your quick answer! I'm in love with 1940s British cinema so of course, I couldn't miss Powell and Pressburger! I saw The Red Shoes during summer 2009 while having nothing to do (I had just received a complete box set of these 2 directors) and it just blew me away! Not just the story but the whole artistry and concept behind this grand film! I fell head over heels in love with Anton Walbrook, his power at creating an over-the-top character without ridicule!
Truly one of the greatest films, the story is dense and powerful- essentially about how Civilization's desire to reorder Nature is doomed- that nature will find a way to prevail, in this case, by using beauty as an overwhelming destructive force. One of the best lines, when Sister Phillipa says " I think that you can see too far" - indeed the air is like crystal! See this film- it is unforgettable!
And Kathleen Byron! Simply spellbinding!I love this film! You should watch it during quarantine! IT's the perfect time to catch up on classic movies! Thanks for watching and please push the "LIKE" button.
Hey Steve! I love your reviews and your personality so much! I invited a friend over and I was head over heels in love with this film and I told her about it. We watched it on DVD and she was thrilled by the atmosphere, the colors and Sister Ruth (like when she storms out of the door at the end with these eyes!). Thanks again and please continue makeing more reviews!!!!
I am ! I love this film! You should watch it during quarantine! IT's the perfect time to catch up on classic movies! Thanks for watching and please push the "LIKE" button.
I very well may. Although I'd love to do some of his even lesser know, in the US films like "A Matter Of Life and Death" ( US Title: Stairway To Heaven w/ David Niven, Kim Hunter & Kathleen Byron), " I Know Where I'm Going" (w/ Wendy Hiller) or" The Life and Death Of Col. Blimp" ( W/ Deborah Kerr). Also, they've just released 'The Small Back Room', w/ Kathleen Byron & David Farrer, which is the British WW2 equivalent of "The Hurt Locker!" Thanks so much for watching! OXOX TOQ
This was a piece of art from post war Britain. Kathleen Byron as Sister Ruth was on of the most unhinged characters. You can't take your eyes off of her when she was in a scene. Jean Simmons was ethereal with sex appeal. I saw this many years ago and let me tell you, David Farrar made me sit up and take notice. I just saw on IMDB, Hulu is showing a 2020 three part limited series with Jemma Arterton who is a great British actress. I can totally see her in the Deborah Kerr role, but as we know, sometimes you shouldn't tamper with the perfection of the original. Take care, Steve until next time!
You're so right about David Farrar. If the review was longer, I'm sure Steve would have mentioned the scene where Farrar appears without a shirt. "Be still my heart" indeed!
TOQ, I've just returned from a meeting of the National Park Service and learned that you are going to be added to Mt. Rushmore! You are an American icon.
One of my all time favorite movies for all of the reasons you said...Also one of the most visually beautiful things I have ever seen on film is the flashback scene that Deborah Kerr has during prayer where she is fly fishing with her then boyfriend. When they showed her standing in the lake with her red hair blazing and the water of the lake shimmering in the sun like diamonds it made me gasp with awe and I said to my friend involuntarily "That is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!"
If you EVER gat the chance to see this on the big screen, don't miss it. It will blow you away! A masterpeice. Powell and Pressburger are my favorite brit directors this side of Hitchcock.
@kidquertus Thanks, Beth! Yes, I'm afraid I'm a fanatic for both those gals. I especially like Agnes in "DARK PASSAGE". She reminds me so much of Byron in "BLACK NARCISSUS"...or visa versa. In fact, in both pictures, both actresses come to bad ends from great heights. Thanks for the lovely compliments and for watching! TOQ
Such a wonderful, strange movie - not like anything else. And so gorgeous to look at. Can't think of anyone who has played madness better than Kathleen Byron in this part.
It's the one "nun Movie" i find "habit forming". I first saw this movie in the mid-80's and have been running to screenings wherever they show it in New York. Lots of people love it when they go on location, but I get a kick out of seeing how the old movie makers created the illusion of wherever their stories took place. Simply gorgeous! l;et me know what you think and thanks for watching! OXOX TOQ
i love your work! thanks for what you do and your obvious love of film. I only discovered this gem a couple of years ago. what a find! i believe it's the most original beautiful and haunting film I've ever seen. i really thought I was at the top of the Himalayas. and of course there's Deborah Kerr and Kathleen Byron. There is nothing else like it. thanks again.
This is one of my top ten favorite films of all time for ll the reasons you mentioned! I never get tired of it and see new things with each viewing. Far and away one of the most breathtakingly innovative films ever made. Thank you so much for watching! Best Wishes; Steve
My grandma is thrilled with your video series. We have been netflixing your recommendations, and she is thrilled we are watching these awesome old movies together!
I love this film! You should watch it during quarantine! IT's the perfect time to catch up on classic movies! Thanks for watching and please push the "LIKE" button.
Steve, "Black Narcissus" is by one of my favorite authors Rumer Godden who was English but lived part of her life in India. She wrote another novel about nuns, "In This House of Brede". She wrote a family saga called "Time in Three Tenses". You and your viewers might also enjoy these books.
I saw some of this film as a child, had no idea what was going on but some of it stayed with me. When I saw it as an adult--wow! Kathleen Byron at the end made me think of a demon from accounts in the Gospels. I think one translation uses the term "unclean spirit" and one of the demons talks about being tormented. Just her appearance is transcendent, beyond acting.
She was so dynamic. The spectre of her wrunning throgh the corridors with that flwoing wimple are mesmerizing. And that incredible close-up when she enters Mr Dean's hose with her red hair. So beautiful!
Kathleen Byron is amazing in the film, she also is most striking in Powell’s earlier film “A Matter of Life and Death.” This, too, is a film well worth viewing.
And , when you get a moment, check her out in Powell & Pressburger's "The Small Back Room" with David Farrar. A tender love story set during the war in London and she's breathtaking as a woman in love with a very difficult man. I think she should have had the Best Supporting Oscar for "Black Narcissus". In fact, she was a runner up for the New York Film Critic's Award as Best Actress, which, coincidentally, Deboraj Kerr won for Black Nercissus and " I See A Dark Stranger". ! Love Kathleen.!!! for it. Thanks for watching! Steve.
@@anthonyanderson2405 After having recommended it to you, I watched it again last night. It's perfect and every performance is flawless. Cyril Cusak, Robert Morely and Renee Asherson in supporting roles are quietly superb. And thank YOU, for watching and for the lovely compliment! Best Wishes; Steve
@@STEVEHAYESTOQ It took me a while to secure a copy of THE SMALL BLACK ROOM on DVD. Watched it last evening, quite a gem. Byron absolutely terrific once again. Thank you so much for the recommendation!
@@anthonyanderson2405 OMG! You've no idea how happy this makes me. Isn't it wonderful? And Cyril Cusack, Renee Asherson and Robert Morely are so good as well. Such a tender love story and so great to see the two leads in such tender roles. I'm simply delighted! Happy Holidays! Best; Steve
Not necessarily mad, but most are fantasy driven. They all pocess elements of having taken place in a dream. "The Red Shoes" is their best known film with it's fantasy ballet sequences and the gorgeous technicolor photography of Moira Shearer who's like a red haired Vivien Leigh. "A Matter Of Life and Death" takes place in Heaven. They loved sparking the imagination of their viewers. Enjoy! Thanks for watching! OXOX TOQ
I haven't been able to figure this out. The best I can do until further notice is to recommend that if you only want to hear the audio, play the video and shut your eyes. Ha! OXOXOX Steve
Also loved Deborah Kerr in "Heaven Knows Mr Allsion." She was fantastic in both films!! Loved your comment about the comparison of Kathleen Boyd and Agnes Moorehead!
Dear Bach; I'm a HUGE Kathleen Byron fan. She was such a presence. Check her out in a quiet love story she did for Powell and Pressburger right after "Black Narcissus" called "The Small Back Room" with David Farrar . She displays a whole different side of herself and is so lovely and romantic. Best Wishes; Steve
My favorite film this side of "Vertigo". I love this film! You should watch it during quarantine! IT's the perfect time to catch up on classic movies! Thanks for watching and please push the "LIKE" button.
I ADORE Mr. Harshbarger! And he knows it! LOl! I love this film! You should watch it during quarantine! IT's the perfect time to catch up on classic movies! Thanks for watching and please push the "LIKE" button.
So the ol vow of chastity ran it's course, and the penguins got a little randy at the sight of a red blooded male. He must have felt like a feast at a starving beggars banquet.
When Sister Ruth puts on lipstick, taunting Sister Clodagh..and then you know she is going to try and seduce Mr. Dean...the music in this is amazing and really punches the suspense and fear factor, which is pretty considerable throughout, especially by the time we seeker praying, and ringing the bell, up on that high cliff...Ooh..I'm getting shivers just writing this....
@whoopit1960. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think for many years the flashback scenes were edited out (for TV time constraints or because it conflicted with the idea of a nun.) I remember seeing the full version recently and could not remember those scenes.
L.O.L! Loved this review and love this film. I never would have compared Kathleen Byron to Agnes Moorehead, but you do have a point there. I was just mentioning this evening how great Agnes was in "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte". In fact, she stole that movie from Davis and deHavilland. Anyhoo, the exchanges between Sister Ruth and Sister Clodaugh quite affective. You know that one them is going to crack eventually and, boy, did Sister Ruth lose her marbles.
Steve, how could you not mention May Hallatt as the serving woman?!? I especially love when the search is on for Sister Ruth and she scampers around and mockingly cries out, "Sister Ruth! Sister Ruth!" The movie was just too wonderful!
On the other end of the scale - Kerr again plays nun in the original Casino Royale & is riotously funny! Slapstick, accents, over the top hair, wardrobe, swinging off drainpipes in black negligee & rubber boots - The Great Lady truly lets her hair down!
Required viewing for aficionados, film school student or people who enjoy watching a bunch of nuns lose it. I've seen it several times... I went to Catholic school and it's nice to see the table turned on those nuns.
@STEVEHAYESTOQ : I now want to see more of Anton (only seen him in Lola Montès and La Ronde, both by Max Ophuls, one of my favourite directors in the whole world). Could you review someday "Brief Encounter"? I'm a sucker for romance and this film epitomizes what I love best about romance : sexual tension, impossibility for the relationship to go on, and just the intensity of romance despite how brief and doomed it has to be! Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson broke my heart in it! Please review it!
Also, did anyone else notice how Mr. Dean strolled around in very little clothing for most of the film. It was almost as if he was trying to taunt Sister Clodaugh. The one scene where he is without a shirt and VERY short shorts made me laugh because Sister Ruth was taking him in like a lioness before the kill. It was beautifully done because you could see the pure eroticism in the whole scene and no one ever touched. Absolutely brilliant!
Steve....you that you did it once again...getting to the essense of the film in less than 3 minutes ! Will u ever do Peeping Tom ? ...another of his 'demented " films ?
I agree. So far the press has been relatively luke warm. Rummer Godden wrote so many wonderful novels, why not tackle one that hasn't been done? Happy Holidays. Stay SAFE! Best; Steve
I love this film! You should watch it during quarantine! IT's the perfect time to catch up on classic movies! Thanks for watching and please push the "LIKE" button.
I can never speak highly enough for the wonders of Kathleen Byron. I recentkly saw her and David frrar together again in anothet Powell and Pressburger film; " The Small Back Room", made after Black Narcissus". They made a wonderful romatic couple. There is a new documentary just out called " Made In England", produced and narrated by Martin Scorses, about the films of Powell and Pressburger. You will love it! Thanks so much for watching! Steve
My favorite line of the movie is when Deborah Kerr tells off David Farrar: "Sober, you're objectionable, drunk you're abominable!"
She was astounding! I love this film! You should watch it during quarantine! IT's the perfect time to catch up on classic movies! Thanks for watching and please push the "LIKE" button.
This is the most extraordinary film - Tom Moncrief who said it was like being trapped in a Vermeer painting was one hundred per cent right - but you also have the quality of "is this a dream or a nightmare". The nuns are housed in what was once a building for a Sultans harem, the walls seem to echo with what happened in the past, you have Kathleen Byron going mad and even Deborah Kerr struggling with her memories of life before she became a nun. And all of it in the most incredible colour. There's a moment in "A Matter of Life and Death" when the messenger from Heaven looks at the life on earth around him and says "One is starved for Technicolour up there". I think Powell and Pressburger used colour as nobody else had ever done.
Nobody did it better and their film remain some of the most breathtaking ever photographed, especially this one. And KATHLEEN BYRON! Here I go again. How she didn't win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress remains a mystery. I know she was first runner up for Best Acrress for The New York Film Critics Award. I can't get enough of her in this and later in "The Small Back Room", where she she's so subtle, lovely and romantic with David Farrar.
Hi Mr. Hayes. I saw this movie as a kid, when it first came out, then decades later as an adult. On both occasions, I assumed it was shot on location. Finding that the opposite was true was one of the biggest shocks of my film trajectory. Thank you so much for pointing out that it was shot in a studio, not the Himalayas. The power of film, and the power of -- you!
Oh My Gosh! Thank you, so much! I'm honored that I was able to enlighten you about this amazing piece of cinematic art. I adore this film and think it is one of the ten or so true masterpieces. Just for the fun, check out a small film they ( Powell & Pressburger) made a couple years after with David Farrar and Kathleen Byron called ; " The Small Back Room", a romatic love story, shot in black & white, which takes place during the London blitz. It's so wonderful to see these two, who were so intense in "Black Narcissus", paired together in this sensitive romance made by the same team. Happy Holidays! Steve
@@STEVEHAYESTOQ "The Small Back Room" is being shown at the Museum of Modern Art as part of the Michael Powell retrospective "Cinema Unbound" on June 30 and July 20. It would be great to see you there on the 30th.
I'm obsessed with her. She was forever type cast in these parts in the rest of her career. However, she plays a lovely romantic part in "The Small Back Room" made right after "Black Narcissus" and also directed by Powell. He also used her as a sympathetic angel in "A Matter Of Life and Death". She acted right up until she died. She's Pvt. Ryan's the wife in the present day scenes in the cemetary in "Saving Private Ryan".
Absolutely love this movie, saw it years ago on TV and fell instantly for it.. Love the way Sister Ruth tries to vamp the British agent. Also the way the tropical foliage seems to come to the edge off the glacial mountains. Such an amazing film. Incredible. It must have been a hoot to be in the cast.
All shot y the amazing Jack Cardiff, who deservedly took home the Oscar for it. One of my ten favorite films.
Steve dear I love this review, however, I just wished you had shown Jean Simmons who was absolutely beautiful in this film and the late Indian beauty Sabu from Thief of Bagdad, they were exotic beauties in this film
The scenery omg. when I was young I wanted to be a nun but I think this is what would happen to me. Loved the movie
Questionable habits.
Damn, your older reviews are far too short. This is one of the movies that deserves at least a 10 - 15 minutes review
It's one of the best use of color I've ever seen to create mood and tension. I just wish your review had been longer. You are so good. Thank you for your amazing reviews, Steve!
Hello Peter; this one was done e in the early days when we were first startinhgout and I may re-do it as it's one of my top ten favorite films of all time. Jack Cadriff's Oscar winning cinematography was such a landmark in the creative use of Technicolor.
@@STEVEHAYESTOQ need longer review. yes re-do the review & Mildred Pierce.
Another great review. Somehow I never saw this movie before. It's exotic, haunting - very special - a must-see classic film.
One of my all time favorites. Exotic, brilliantly acted and directed and the production is mesmerizing. And Kathleen Byron!!!
Kathleen Byron absolutely owns this movie. As a good Catholic boy, I don't think I had ever seen anything more shocking than when the door opened and Sister Ruth was standing there in her red dress. The only thing that could have hit me harder was if she'd been naked with a pistol in her hand.😄 You can't know how relieved I was when I realised this was actually an order of ANGLICAN nuns. That made it all right😂
She was brilliant and it should have led to a slew of fabulous roles, but it didn't. You should watch the film she made with David Farrar after this called; " The Small Back Room". A love story set during the Blitz in London. Powell & Pressburger again and both actors are so lovely in completely different type of roles.
This might be my favourite film. I’ve been to the spectacular azalea gardens which stood in for the foothills, the entire film is about atmosphere, it’s like being trapped in a Vermeer painting with beautifully gowned nuns sent raving mad by the altitude. You forgot to mention Sabu and Jean Simmons, both young and gorgeously filmed.
I totally agree and loved them both. Remarkably, Simmons did this, "Hamlet" and "Great Expectations" the same year! At the time I filmed this episode, we were keeping the time alotment down, so some glowing individuals got lost in the shuffle. Thanks for watching! Steve
Sabu really grew up into a bewitching adult.
@moviefan19S
You have just watched one of my favorite films! The color, the performances...especially Kathleen Byron as Sister Ruth! I love it when she runs through the corridors with her white robes trailing behind her. She made nuns suddenly so sinister. I can't believe they didn't nominate her as Supporting Actress. And of course, Kerr is so real and lovely. Now, I want you to rent the next movie that Powell and Pressberger made called THE RED SHOES. You will flip!!! Thanks for watching!
One of my ten favorite films. Byron should have had the Oscar for Supproting Actress for this. Check her out with David Farrar a few years later in Powell & Pressburger's "The Small Back Room". She's lovely in this tender wartime romance. I think you'll love it. Thank you so much for watching! Don't forget to subscribe and push the "LIKE" button. Stay well . Stay SAFE. Best; Steve
A wonderful Powell and Pressburger, with one of the greatest scary make-up jobs on Kathleen Byron at the end.
She was spellbinding. I think she shoud have won best Supporting Actress for this role.
you should be on prime time, you'd give classic movies an incredible new face to younger audiences. you are dynamite!
oxoxoxo
@STEVEHAYESTOQ : Hey Steeve! thanks for your quick answer! I'm in love with 1940s British cinema so of course, I couldn't miss Powell and Pressburger! I saw The Red Shoes during summer 2009 while having nothing to do (I had just received a complete box set of these 2 directors) and it just blew me away! Not just the story but the whole artistry and concept behind this grand film! I fell head over heels in love with Anton Walbrook, his power at creating an over-the-top character without ridicule!
Truly one of the greatest films, the story is dense and powerful- essentially about how Civilization's desire to reorder Nature is doomed- that nature will find a way to prevail, in this case, by using beauty as an overwhelming destructive force. One of the best lines, when Sister Phillipa says " I think that you can see too far" - indeed the air is like crystal! See this film- it is unforgettable!
And Kathleen Byron! Simply spellbinding!I love this film! You should watch it during quarantine! IT's the perfect time to catch up on classic movies! Thanks for watching and please push the "LIKE" button.
Hey Steve! I love your reviews and your personality so much! I invited a friend over and I was head over heels in love with this film and I told her about it. We watched it on DVD and she was thrilled by the atmosphere, the colors and Sister Ruth (like when she storms out of the door at the end with these eyes!). Thanks again and please continue makeing more reviews!!!!
I am ! I love this film! You should watch it during quarantine! IT's the perfect time to catch up on classic movies! Thanks for watching and please push the "LIKE" button.
I very well may. Although I'd love to do some of his even lesser know, in the US films like "A Matter Of Life and Death" ( US Title: Stairway To Heaven w/ David Niven, Kim Hunter & Kathleen Byron), " I Know Where I'm Going" (w/ Wendy Hiller) or" The Life and Death Of Col. Blimp" ( W/ Deborah Kerr). Also, they've just released 'The Small Back Room', w/ Kathleen Byron & David Farrer, which is the British WW2 equivalent of "The Hurt Locker!"
Thanks so much for watching!
OXOX
TOQ
This was a piece of art from post war Britain. Kathleen Byron as Sister Ruth was on of the most unhinged characters. You can't take your eyes off of her when she was in a scene. Jean Simmons was ethereal with sex appeal. I saw this many years ago and let me tell you, David Farrar made me sit up and take notice. I just saw on IMDB, Hulu is showing a 2020 three part limited series with Jemma Arterton who is a great British actress. I can totally see her in the Deborah Kerr role, but as we know, sometimes you shouldn't tamper with the perfection of the original. Take care, Steve until next time!
You're so right about David Farrar. If the review was longer, I'm sure Steve would have mentioned the scene where Farrar appears without a shirt. "Be still my heart" indeed!
@@yiprock Absolutely!
Hey! I came here to see David Farrar in his short shorts on that lucky pony!!
Take your time; I like your long reactions.
When it comes to those shorts, a short reaction is never in order. LOL!
Steve Hayes
Hamina hamina!
TOQ, I've just returned from a meeting of the National Park Service and learned that you are going to be added to Mt. Rushmore! You are an American icon.
Just this side of Jefferson and right next to Joan Crawford. LOl!
One of my all time favorite movies for all of the reasons you said...Also one of the most visually beautiful things I have ever seen on film is the flashback scene that Deborah Kerr has during prayer where she is fly fishing with her then boyfriend. When they showed her standing in the lake with her red hair blazing and the water of the lake shimmering in the sun like diamonds it made me gasp with awe and I said to my friend involuntarily "That is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!"
If you EVER gat the chance to see this on the big screen, don't miss it. It will blow you away! A masterpeice. Powell and Pressburger are my favorite brit directors this side of Hitchcock.
@kidquertus
Thanks, Beth! Yes, I'm afraid I'm a fanatic for both those gals. I especially like Agnes in "DARK PASSAGE". She reminds me so much of Byron in "BLACK NARCISSUS"...or visa versa. In fact, in both pictures, both actresses come to bad ends from great heights.
Thanks for the lovely compliments and for watching!
TOQ
Such a wonderful, strange movie - not like anything else. And so gorgeous to look at. Can't think of anyone who has played madness better than Kathleen Byron in this part.
She had alot of help, as she readily admits, from Oscar'd cinematographer Jack Cardiff.
It's the one "nun Movie" i find "habit forming". I first saw this movie in the mid-80's and have been running to screenings wherever they show it in New York. Lots of people love it when they go on location, but I get a kick out of seeing how the old movie makers created the illusion of wherever their stories took place. Simply gorgeous! l;et me know what you think and thanks for watching!
OXOX
TOQ
I can't tell you how happy that makes theTOQ! Tell her to keep watching 'cause there's lots more fun on the horizon! Thanks so much!
OXOXOX
TOQ
i love your work! thanks for what you do and your obvious love of film. I only discovered this gem a couple of years ago.
what a find! i believe it's the most original beautiful and haunting film I've ever seen. i really thought I was at the top of the Himalayas. and of course there's Deborah Kerr and Kathleen Byron. There is nothing else like it. thanks again.
This is one of my top ten favorite films of all time for ll the reasons you mentioned! I never get tired of it and see new things with each viewing. Far and away one of the most breathtakingly innovative films ever made. Thank you so much for watching! Best Wishes; Steve
My grandma is thrilled with your video series. We have been netflixing your recommendations, and she is thrilled we are watching these awesome old movies together!
God Bless her and you for watching.
Love your reviews! I've never heard of this movie but I can't wait to watch it! Keep up the great work! Peace!
I love this film! You should watch it during quarantine! IT's the perfect time to catch up on classic movies! Thanks for watching and please push the "LIKE" button.
You are my hero Steve. To equate Kathleen Byron and Agnes Moorehead is the truest thing I've ever heard EVER.
THANK YOU for this series!
Beth
I think so. Byro in this and Aggie in "Dark Passage". The intensity of the rage hysteria. Fabulous!
Steve, "Black Narcissus" is by one of my favorite authors Rumer Godden who was English but lived part of her life in India. She wrote another novel about nuns, "In This House of Brede". She wrote a family saga called "Time in Three Tenses". You and your viewers might also enjoy these books.
I love her as well.
Lipstick has never been so threatening!
The brilliance of Michael Powell. And Kathleen Byron...simply unforgettable. Thanks for watching! Please stay SAFE and All My Best; Steve
I saw some of this film as a child, had no idea what was going on but some of it stayed with me. When I saw it as an adult--wow! Kathleen Byron at the end made me think of a demon from accounts in the Gospels. I think one translation uses the term "unclean spirit" and one of the demons talks about being tormented. Just her appearance is transcendent, beyond acting.
She was so dynamic. The spectre of her wrunning throgh the corridors with that flwoing wimple are mesmerizing. And that incredible close-up when she enters Mr Dean's hose with her red hair. So beautiful!
Kathleen Byron is amazing in the film, she also is most striking in Powell’s earlier film “A Matter of Life and Death.” This, too, is a film well worth viewing.
And , when you get a moment, check her out in Powell & Pressburger's "The Small Back Room" with David Farrar. A tender love story set during the war in London and she's breathtaking as a woman in love with a very difficult man. I think she should have had the Best Supporting Oscar for "Black Narcissus". In fact, she was a runner up for the New York Film Critic's Award as Best Actress, which, coincidentally, Deboraj Kerr won for Black Nercissus and " I See A Dark Stranger". ! Love Kathleen.!!! for it. Thanks for watching! Steve.
@@STEVEHAYESTOQ Thank you for the recommendation, will definitely track down the film down. And thank you for your wonderful channel!
@@anthonyanderson2405 After having recommended it to you, I watched it again last night. It's perfect and every performance is flawless. Cyril Cusak, Robert Morely and Renee Asherson in supporting roles are quietly superb. And thank YOU, for watching and for the lovely compliment! Best Wishes; Steve
@@STEVEHAYESTOQ It took me a while to secure a copy of THE SMALL BLACK ROOM on DVD. Watched it last evening, quite a gem. Byron absolutely terrific once again. Thank you so much for the recommendation!
@@anthonyanderson2405 OMG! You've no idea how happy this makes me. Isn't it wonderful? And Cyril Cusack, Renee Asherson and Robert Morely are so good as well. Such a tender love story and so great to see the two leads in such tender roles. I'm simply delighted! Happy Holidays! Best; Steve
You are so wonderful at this .
Not necessarily mad, but most are fantasy driven. They all pocess elements of having taken place in a dream. "The Red Shoes" is their best known film with it's fantasy ballet sequences and the gorgeous technicolor photography of Moira Shearer who's like a red haired Vivien Leigh. "A Matter Of Life and Death" takes place in Heaven. They loved sparking the imagination of their viewers. Enjoy!
Thanks for watching!
OXOX
TOQ
I haven't been able to figure this out.
The best I can do until further notice is to recommend that if you only want to hear the audio, play the video and shut your eyes. Ha!
OXOXOX
Steve
Love listening to you talk about movies, Steve. Ever see "Colonel Blimp?"
Great movie. Watched it recently back in November.
A personal favorite. Thanks for watching! Steve
@@STEVEHAYESTOQ yw
Also loved Deborah Kerr in "Heaven Knows Mr Allsion." She was fantastic in both films!! Loved your comment about the comparison of Kathleen Boyd and Agnes Moorehead!
Dear Bach; I'm a HUGE Kathleen Byron fan. She was such a presence. Check her out in a quiet love story she did for Powell and Pressburger right after "Black Narcissus" called "The Small Back Room" with David Farrar . She displays a whole different side of herself and is so lovely and romantic. Best Wishes; Steve
Quite simply my all time favourite film.
My favorite film this side of "Vertigo". I love this film! You should watch it during quarantine! IT's the perfect time to catch up on classic movies! Thanks for watching and please push the "LIKE" button.
I love love love Black Narc...and I am so happy I found your channel...discovered it on Marc Harshbarger's blog. I'll be back. John
I ADORE Mr. Harshbarger! And he knows it! LOl! I love this film! You should watch it during quarantine! IT's the perfect time to catch up on classic movies! Thanks for watching and please push the "LIKE" button.
So the ol vow of chastity ran it's course, and the penguins got a little randy at the sight of a red blooded male. He must have felt like a feast at a starving beggars banquet.
Beautiful!! I still need yo watch that film. Have you ever reviewed Masque of the Red Death? With Vincent Price?
No, but I'll put it on my "To Do' list! Thanks for watching! Steve
@@STEVEHAYESTOQ Oooohhhh!!! Sweet!! Looking forward to your review of that film!! 🤩
@@SpringerA1984 Happy Spring!
When Sister Ruth puts on lipstick, taunting Sister Clodagh..and then you know she is going to try and seduce Mr. Dean...the music in this is amazing and really punches the suspense and fear factor, which is pretty considerable throughout, especially by the time we seeker praying, and ringing the bell, up on that high cliff...Ooh..I'm getting shivers just writing this....
Xactly!
You have to watch the new Criterion Blu-ray of it. It looks amazing!!
Sounds good.
It's simply breathtaking!
@whoopit1960. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think for many years the flashback scenes were edited out (for TV time constraints or because it conflicted with the idea of a nun.) I remember seeing the full version recently and could not remember those scenes.
Dunno. Sorry.
L.O.L! Loved this review and love this film. I never would have compared Kathleen Byron to Agnes Moorehead, but you do have a point there. I was just mentioning this evening how great Agnes was in "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte". In fact, she stole that movie from Davis and deHavilland. Anyhoo, the exchanges between Sister Ruth and Sister Clodaugh quite affective. You know that one them is going to crack eventually and, boy, did Sister Ruth lose her marbles.
So intese. It suddenly turns suspenseful, a "where is she in the house?" movie.
Hey Honey;
It's definitely on my list! What's better than Rock, Jimmy , Liz and Mercedes McCambridge as Luz?
God, I miss you!
OXOXOX
TOQ
It cracks me up how Sabu talks like the Californian he is. Also I adore the mordant humor in this film.
Yes, it makes me laugh in several spots. Glorious! Thanks for watching! Best; Steve
Steve, how could you not mention May Hallatt as the serving woman?!? I especially love when the search is on for Sister Ruth and she scampers around and mockingly cries out, "Sister Ruth! Sister Ruth!" The movie was just too wonderful!
I adore May. I also love her a few later in "Separate Tables" as Miss Meacham, role she created on Broadway. She was a 'delightful old bird'.
thanks for the recomendation ^_^
On the other end of the scale - Kerr again plays nun in the original Casino Royale & is riotously funny! Slapstick, accents, over the top hair, wardrobe, swinging off drainpipes in black negligee & rubber boots - The Great Lady truly lets her hair down!
Required viewing for aficionados, film school student or people who enjoy watching a bunch of nuns lose it. I've seen it several times... I went to Catholic school and it's nice to see the table turned on those nuns.
@STEVEHAYESTOQ : I now want to see more of Anton (only seen him in Lola Montès and La Ronde, both by Max Ophuls, one of my favourite directors in the whole world). Could you review someday "Brief Encounter"? I'm a sucker for romance and this film epitomizes what I love best about romance : sexual tension, impossibility for the relationship to go on, and just the intensity of romance despite how brief and doomed it has to be! Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson broke my heart in it! Please review it!
I did review "brief Encounter" after this. Look in my past episode. I love it as well.
Also, did anyone else notice how Mr. Dean strolled around in very little clothing for most of the film. It was almost as if he was trying to taunt Sister Clodaugh. The one scene where he is without a shirt and VERY short shorts made me laugh because Sister Ruth was taking him in like a lioness before the kill. It was beautifully done because you could see the pure eroticism in the whole scene and no one ever touched. Absolutely brilliant!
Xactly. She slowly moves into the frame. Ever creeping up on him.
Katherine Byron was (an elderly) Pvt. Ryan's wife in "Saving Private Ryan".
Yes, It made me scream a little when I saw her. I have an autographed picture of her in this on my wall. Treasured!
A Great Film.....!
I'm not sure. I'll check and get back to you!
OXOX
TOQ
Steve....you that you did it once again...getting to the essense of the film in less than 3 minutes ! Will u ever do Peeping Tom ? ...another of his 'demented " films ?
It's on my list.
How frustrating - it keeps freezing half way through. Sigh.
The new hulu remake trailer looks promising but you never can tell with them. ✌ originals are clearly always top notch.
I agree. So far the press has been relatively luke warm. Rummer Godden wrote so many wonderful novels, why not tackle one that hasn't been done? Happy Holidays. Stay SAFE! Best; Steve
By the time we SEE HER PRAYING..sorry kids.
But the central conceit of the movie that the place exerts a powerful sexual allure to the nuns.
I've only seen Stairway To Heaven.....are the others as mad as Black Narcissus and Peeping Tom ?
I love this film! You should watch it during quarantine! IT's the perfect time to catch up on classic movies! Thanks for watching and please push the "LIKE" button.
Love this movie, Kathleen Byron is so amazing with her sexual frustration over "tarzan."
I can never speak highly enough for the wonders of Kathleen Byron. I recentkly saw her and David frrar together again in anothet Powell and Pressburger film; " The Small Back Room", made after Black Narcissus". They made a wonderful romatic couple. There is a new documentary just out called " Made In England", produced and narrated by Martin Scorses, about the films of Powell and Pressburger. You will love it! Thanks so much for watching! Steve
LOL!