Black Narcissus

A taut melodrama of unusually fierce passions and barely contained erotic tension, BLACK NARCISSUS, for which Cardiff won his first Oscar for Best Cinematography, tells the tale of a group of Anglo-Catholic nuns who open a school and hospital in a remote Himalayan community. As they face a series of obstacles from the villagers and a hostile environment, tensions begin to grow. In its depiction of young women torn between duty and passion, BLACK NARCISSUS shares common elements with THE RED SHOES.

➜ Introduced by Trish Sheil from the Cambridgeshire Film Consortium.

Print source: BFI