Box office
Black Narcissus had its world premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on 24 April 1947 attended by Queen Mary, before opening to the public there the following day and being shown in 20 key cities in the UK within 10 days.[1][23][24] According to trade papers, the film was a "notable box office attraction" at British cinemas in 1947.[25][26] It premiered in the United States on 13 August 1947 in New York City at the Fulton Theatre.[27]
In France, where it released in 1949, the film sold 1,388,416 tickets. In Japan, it was the fifth top-grossing film of 1950, earning ¥60 million in theatrical rentals.[28]
Legion of Decency condemnation
In the United States, the Catholic National Legion of Decency condemned the film as "an affront to religion and religious life" for characterising it as "an escape for the abnormal, the neurotic and the frustrated".[29] The version of the film originally shown in the United States had scenes depicting flashbacks of Sister Clodagh's life before becoming a sister edited out at the behest of the Legion of Decency.[30] The 10 cuts to the film, of about 900 feet of film, were supervised by Pressburger, who commented that the cuts were "reasonable, fair and just", and that he made them to further the film's distribution, as the only bookings it had while on the "condemned" list were in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. After the cuts were made, the Legion of Decency removed the film from the list, and further bookings were possible.[31]
Critical response
The Manchester Guardian described the film as possessing "good acting and skilfully built-up atmosphere" and praised the cinematography.[32] Philip Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times gave the film high praise, deeming it an "exquisite cinematic jewel", continuing: "I can't say how authentic Black Narcissus is, but the lotus land to which it carries us is uniquely unforgettable."[33] Jane Corby of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle described the film as a "peculiar recital of religious life" and praised the cinematography, but felt that the "mixed atmosphere of religious seclusion and romantic vagaries is very confusing".[34]
Thomas M. Pryor of The New York Times lauded the creative collaboration of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the writer-director duo, for their notable artistic achievement in Black Narcissus. Pryor particularly highlighted the groundbreaking use of Technicolor in the movie, noting its exceptional realism and its ability to create a riveting dramatic impact. He further commended the film's adept employment of miniature sets and process shots to authentically evoke the ambience of the Himalayan setting. Pryor found the presentation of the film's dramatic elements to be exceptionally well-executed and praised the overall performance of the cast as commendable. Nevertheless, Pryor observed a subtle undercurrent of detachment and cynicism in the portrayal of the nuns within the narrative, acknowledging that this aspect might prove disconcerting to certain viewers.[35][36]
The film has a 100% "fresh" rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, which describes the film as "provocative, dazzling and rich-colored".[37] On Metacritic the film has a score of 86 based on 15 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[38]
Awards and honours
| Institution | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Color Cinematography | Jack Cardiff | Won | [39] |
| Best Color Art Direction | Alfred Junge | Won | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Cinematography | Jack Cardiff | Won | |
| New York Film Critics Circle | Best Actress | Deborah Kerr | Won | |
| Kathleen Byron | Nominated | [40] |
Home media
The Criterion Collection, an American home media distribution company, released Black Narcissus on laserdisc in the early 1990s, and issued it on DVD in 2002.[41] Noel Murray, writing for The A.V. Club, deemed the 2002 DVD as a "crackerjack release", noting it was a direct copy of the old laserdisc.[41]
In 2008, ITV, the corporate heir to the Rank Organisation's General Film Distributors, released a restored version of the film on Blu-ray in the United Kingdom. The Criterion Collection subsequently issued the restored version on DVD and Blu-ray on 20 July 2010.[42] Network Distributing, under licence from ITV, released another Blu-ray edition in the United Kingdom in 2014.[43]
