1947: Black Narcissus - Truth, Beauty, and the Partnership of Powell and Pressburger

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Powell and Pressburger are one of the most incredible partnerships in all of film history, putting out such classics as The Red Shoes, A Matter of Life and Death, and One of Our Aircraft is Missing.
Their darkest (and perhaps their best) film, Black Narcissus, is a sprawling and beautiful epic that tells the story of a group of nuns who set up a hospital and school in the deep Himalayas. This video explores the partnership of Powell and Pressburger, their obsessions and reoccurring themes, and how Black Narcissus deals with colonialism, war, the role of women and the deep sexual repression of 1940's England.
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Пікірлер: 68

  • @SL-ze6su
    @SL-ze6su2 жыл бұрын

    I watched this movie just one time two years ago and I still think about the color palette, visuals, cinematography every week. It's in between unreal and something you never seen or will see again

  • @kostajovanovic3711
    @kostajovanovic37113 жыл бұрын

    You and be kind rewind on the same day?!? Wow, what a treat

  • @chillandrelax348

    @chillandrelax348

    3 жыл бұрын

    Omg! You watch both of them too!? When I saw both of them post I was so happy!

  • @kevinbernard9791
    @kevinbernard97912 жыл бұрын

    the black narcissus and great expectations are amazing movies from the 40s especially with jean simmons who was just breathtaking

  • @HannahDonohue
    @HannahDonohue3 жыл бұрын

    I just finished watching this film and was disturbed 😂 Knew nothing about it going in and figured anything with Deborah Kerr as a nun would be in the vein of The Bells of St. Mary's lol. Could not possibly have been more wrong. The backgrounds and set were astonishing, though. Visually it was fantastic.

  • @Tararu3500
    @Tararu35003 жыл бұрын

    Michael Powell an absolute genius! His contribution to The Thief of Baghdad (one of Francis Coppola's favourite films), and, of course, Peeping Tom are also worth exploring. Thank you for the essay and choice for 1947.

  • @kdizzle901

    @kdizzle901

    6 ай бұрын

    Peeping Tom unfortunately ruined his career even though it’s a masterpiece

  • @thorn262

    @thorn262

    4 ай бұрын

    @kdizzle901 'Peeping Tom' was released just two-months prior to, 'Psycho,' yet, the latter is taken as an unquestionable ‘classic,’ while the former, is mostly, and at best -- certainly for that time - just, ‘crickets.’ The difference? Powell opens with a shocking, first person murder, forcing the audience into ‘uncomfortable seating,’ while Hitchcock is never so daring, remaining, at best, with a third person, ‘comfy-chair,’ perspective. Fine analyses, here: Peeping Tom (1960 film) - Wikipedia Psycho (1960 film) - Wikipedia

  • @kdizzle901

    @kdizzle901

    4 ай бұрын

    @@thorn262 I’m aware…it’s a shame

  • @alistairwood9853
    @alistairwood98533 жыл бұрын

    I love this film, easily my favourite P&P film.

  • @CAMPBELLOBK97
    @CAMPBELLOBK973 жыл бұрын

    Shout out to The Thief of Bagdad not an official Powell and Pressburger film but was directed by Michael Powell and i think its any overlooked gem considering it came out the year after Gone With the Wind and Wizard of Oz 💎😊

  • @IssamHalabi

    @IssamHalabi

    Жыл бұрын

    The Young General played the sidekick in that movie

  • @christianbravo9031
    @christianbravo9031Ай бұрын

    Please come back. These videos are such a treasure.

  • @melenatorr
    @melenatorr3 жыл бұрын

    What a wonderful presentation one of my favorite film teams - "A Matter of Life and Death" was an early love of mine, and I never tire of watching it. One of the other masters of this team which made their visions possible was the great cinematographer, Jack Cardiff, who also worked on "The Red Shoes" and "Matter..." Also, the team had something of a repertory of actors including Roger Livesey and Marius Goring, who seemed to understand the tone of these films.

  • @onehundredyearsofcinema

    @onehundredyearsofcinema

    3 жыл бұрын

    I am tied between A Matter of Life and Death and Black Narcissus for my favorite. I feel like you could show it to anybody in the world and they would enjoy it.

  • @melenatorr

    @melenatorr

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@onehundredyearsofcinema I have to be in the mood for "Black Narcissus" - it's such a massive wonder. But "Matter of Life and Death" is one of those movies I show to friends, to see if we're really on the same wavelength. "Hobson's Choice" is another one.

  • @ginnylorenz5265

    @ginnylorenz5265

    Жыл бұрын

    @@melenatorr Yes! "Hobson's Choice" is a great favorite of mine.

  • @kdizzle901
    @kdizzle9016 ай бұрын

    There masterpiece is either this or The Life and death of Colonel Blimp

  • @plestj
    @plestj3 жыл бұрын

    One of my favorite films! Thank you for a great in-depth analysis! Look forward to your videos.

  • @AlbertDubin
    @AlbertDubin3 жыл бұрын

    I've been waiting for someone to make a video on this movie! It has some of the most beautiful cinematography I've ever seen. I'll definitely be watching A Matter Of Life And Death next. Great Job!

  • @thefemalegazechannel8426
    @thefemalegazechannel84263 жыл бұрын

    im obsessed with this series! love it

  • @oobrocks
    @oobrocks2 жыл бұрын

    Cinema is the ultimate team effort

  • @ThePigman6
    @ThePigman62 ай бұрын

    Excellent work! Keep pushing yourself to get better! You can do this.

  • @midnitesongs
    @midnitesongs3 жыл бұрын

    It has to be KZread’s algorithm at work as this is the first your channel has been suggested to me despite you being around for quite awhile. Great video ! Instantly subscribed.

  • @samteale1027
    @samteale10273 жыл бұрын

    Fantastic work Charlie, keep it up!

  • @etherealtb6021
    @etherealtb60216 ай бұрын

    Great analysis!

  • @yonathanasefaw9001
    @yonathanasefaw90013 жыл бұрын

    Amazing work! Never seen these movies before but I want to see them!

  • @TilburgNance-pi5cy
    @TilburgNance-pi5cy2 ай бұрын

    Moira Shearer was born into my city Dunfermline.

  • @zmani4379
    @zmani43793 жыл бұрын

    I'm really enjoying these videos - could you do one on Renoir? I see you've passed the 30s already - when he did his most famous work - Rules of the Game would have been the obvious one - but we've got his late masterpieces The River and Golden Coach coming up in the early 50s - or another angle might be to do a video on Bazin, and then use that to showcase Renoir It would also be nice to see something on Max Ophuls

  • @simonag.8587

    @simonag.8587

    Жыл бұрын

    agreed! renoir and ophuls are the bests id love a video about any of them

  • @ryanspees2857
    @ryanspees28573 жыл бұрын

    Great video, I was wondering what happened to 1942: Casablanca?

  • @Saffron-sugar
    @Saffron-sugar3 жыл бұрын

    Amazing movie. As it was made in 1947, it can be hard to watch a biracial (black and white) child playing a Nepalese child because he was obviously judged as "close enough" and actress Jean Simmons in "beige-face" as a Nepalese girl. But, once you let go, the film is gripping. As a Nun, I feel the "too pretty to be a Nun" idea is the norm these days. As though becoming a Nun was purely a desperation move for a woman no man would touch. Do men really believe that snagging on of them is the only ultimate female goal? My goodness, do people think that all women with vocations only have them because they are homely? Or, do people think that pretty women cannot have any depth of character? I hope neither are the case. But I can begin to see where the idea came from now. The 2020 re-make of Black Narcissus, for Hulu, is a 3 part series and not as good, but different. The differences change the story.

  • @terrya8989

    @terrya8989

    Жыл бұрын

    'hard to watch a biracial child playing a Nepalese child' and Jean Simmons in 'beige-face' as a Nepalese girl. Lol, what woke bullshit.

  • @thorn262

    @thorn262

    4 ай бұрын

    ​@@terrya8989 Ever try producing a post-war drama, set in Nepal, but filmed in the UK, and intended for world release? Didn't think so.

  • @theburlesonoutlook6819
    @theburlesonoutlook68193 жыл бұрын

    Love your vids, thanks

  • @perrymalcolm3802
    @perrymalcolm38023 жыл бұрын

    One of the top 3 technicolor films!!

  • @exist505
    @exist5053 жыл бұрын

    Finally

  • @KevTheImpaler
    @KevTheImpaler2 жыл бұрын

    I can't remember Kanji getting married. The general's son would not likely marry a girl like her, although he might have her as a mistress. Also, and I have heard this elsewhere, the nuns were wasting their time trying to set up a dispensary and school for the villagers, because they did not need it, and this is a metaphor for the British Empire. So, what you are saying is none of our colonies benefitted at all from Western medicine and education.

  • @karlkarlos3545
    @karlkarlos35453 жыл бұрын

    Yeah, that's a great choice.

  • @Lacie9
    @Lacie93 жыл бұрын

    Bro how long is it gonna take you to do all of the years?

  • @dildonius

    @dildonius

    3 жыл бұрын

    100 years.

  • @Lacie9

    @Lacie9

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@dildonius "makes sense"

  • @GhostshadowShadowghost
    @GhostshadowShadowghost3 жыл бұрын

    It's a pity that Churchill handed over British cinematography to the Americans...

  • @King-jn9is

    @King-jn9is

    3 жыл бұрын

    Can you please expand

  • @randolphwhite3406

    @randolphwhite3406

    3 жыл бұрын

    huh?

  • @sylvainwaindezaki2.034
    @sylvainwaindezaki2.0343 жыл бұрын

    you,eve seen the documentarty Dawson City: Frozen Tim

  • @dq405
    @dq4053 жыл бұрын

    A good essay, but one that reveals too much of the plot. Powell and Pressburger knew the value of surprise.

  • @AwfulEdits
    @AwfulEdits3 жыл бұрын

    Can you do one on Godzilla PLEASE!!!

  • @eldaytripper2
    @eldaytripper23 жыл бұрын

    Whaaaa?!! Where's 1947??!

  • @karlkarlos3545

    @karlkarlos3545

    3 жыл бұрын

    That's 1947.

  • @kostajovanovic3711

    @kostajovanovic3711

    3 жыл бұрын

    You are watching it

  • @eldaytripper2

    @eldaytripper2

    3 жыл бұрын

    I think he made a typo on the original post.

  • @KianaVision
    @KianaVision3 жыл бұрын

    Lovely video! I believe you'd enjoy my content too. Keep up with your fantastic work! 💞💕

  • @henrybyrd5402
    @henrybyrd54023 жыл бұрын

    You must have watched a different film. I don't remember Sanchi marrying the young General or the nuns returning to England!

  • @onehundredyearsofcinema

    @onehundredyearsofcinema

    3 жыл бұрын

    You dont see Sanchi getting married, but Mr Dean tells Sister Clodagh as the film ends. But that's a good point about the nuns, I know that they leave the monestary, but I dont know for certain they went back to England.

  • @henrybyrd5402

    @henrybyrd5402

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@onehundredyearsofcinema I remember the young General telling Clodagh that he had done "a very wrong thing." I don't recall any mention of marriage. For him to marry such a lower caste girl as Sanchi would have been been virtually impossible anyway. The nuns are clearly returning to Darjeeling where Clodagh believes she will be sent to another convent (no mention of England, she came from Ireland anyway).She reveals this to Mr Dean in their final conversation. BTW I enjoyed your review otherwise.

  • @henrybyrd5402

    @henrybyrd5402

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@onehundredyearsofcinema. Don't know if you deleted my last reply. I certainly don't recall Mr. Dean saying anything of the sort. The Young General refers to "a wrong thing" to describe his brief dalliance with Kanchi, which he obviously regrets. Someone of his rank would have found it impossible to marry such a low caste girl anyway. In the final scene, sister Clodagh tells Mr Dean that when she returns (to the Darjeeling convent), she will be sent to another convent. She would hardly "return" to England having originally come from Ireland.

  • @onehundredyearsofcinema

    @onehundredyearsofcinema

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@henrybyrd5402 I think you are right about the nuns not returning to England, but in the last meeting between Clodagh and the Young General, he tells her he has done "something" to confess, and that it was "The sorry of the prince and the young beggar-maid" which I took to suggest they got married.

  • @henrybyrd5402

    @henrybyrd5402

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@onehundredyearsofcinema My own interpretation of the referral to the "Prince and the beggar Maid" tale is the only way, suggested by Mr Dean, that the Young General can tell a nun that he has had "carnal relations" (my euphemism) with Kanji without causing acute embarrassment to both of them. Apart from these points, I liked your review.

  • @PaulMcCaffreyfmac
    @PaulMcCaffreyfmac3 жыл бұрын

    A bit disturbing how you pronounce narcissus to sound like narcissist

  • @BigHenFor
    @BigHenFor3 жыл бұрын

    I cannot find much affection for Black Narcissus. A Matter of Life and Death and The Red Shoes kick this turgid melodrama into a cocked hat. Perhaps their metaphor went over my head but I couldn't relate the characters.

  • @randolphwhite3406

    @randolphwhite3406

    3 жыл бұрын

    I don't agree but to each their own.

  • @haintedhouse2990

    @haintedhouse2990

    2 жыл бұрын

    couldn't disagree with you more.

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