The Brits are best known for Merchant/Ivory-bang out films adaptations of classic novels, Shakespeare, class.
This is ironic for a number of reasons, perhaps most notably because neither Merchant nor Ivory are British.
Powell and PressburgersBlack Narcissuspractically drips with under the surface eroticism.
My review of Criterions Blu-ray ofBlack Narcissusafter the jump.
As the film progresses, the tension in the nunnery grows.
What Powell and Pressburger do inBlack Narcissusis invest in the characters, and then illustrate their spiritual decay.
She’s practically a zombie.
Also well-handled inBlack Narcissusis the underlying subtext about British colonization a potent subject, especially post-World War II.
And when they ignore their instructions (to help a dying baby), they are finally ostracized.
The film is presented in its original academy ratio (1.33:1) and in a 2.0 monaural soundtrack.
Also from the first release is a theatrical trailer.
Not included are the production stills, and photos of deleted scenes.
But now there is a Bertrand Tavernier video essay on the film (9 min.
), and another Tavernier piece (17 min.)
about the film and his relationship with director Michael Powell.
