Customer Reviews

BLACK NARCISSUS (BLU-RAY)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I own this UK import. The movie itself is region free and does indeed work on North American Blu-Ray players; however, the featurette "A Profile of Black Narcissus" is presented in standard-def PAL (on the same BR disc as the HD feature), and is not playable on most US BR machines.

So, if you are only interested in the main feature (which does like quite nice in HD) and don't mind being somewhat ripped off in the extra features department, go for it. It wouldn't surprise me to see Criterion eventually release a Region A Blu-Ray edition of this stateside, however.

BLU-RAY version...

As the muscle-bound-creep whacks the iconic "J. Arthur Rank" gong in the opening credits of "Black Narcissus" - your heart sinks. The print is truly awful. But that soon disappears when you lay eyes on the restored palette of the actual film itself. The remaining credits are steady, clean and amazingly free of scratches and grain. It's a relief to say that this odd - and still strangely unsettling film (based on Rumer Godden's book) - is a triumph on Blu-Ray.

The effect of seeing the painted studio backdrops doubling as the Himalayan mountains and the nun's make up on their supposed unadorned angelic faces is slightly disconcerting at first, but once you get used to it - scene after scene impresses you with the lovely detail - especially if you've a large screen to do the thing justice. I used the 'Smart' mode on my Sony to get it out of its 'square' mode and fill the screen and it wasn't in the least bit stretched or out of place.

Highlights include when the camera first settles on the young and flirtatious Kanchi (played superbly by Jean Simmons) sat on her suitcase outside Sister Cloddagh's mountain convent (played by Deborah Kerr) in her racy Indian attire, you actually see' how beautiful and striking Simmons was. Or when Kathleen Byron as the lusting Sister Ruth keeps flicking her eyes and thoughts at the semi naked David Farrar as Mr. Dean - you see both of their faces and expressions - and for the first time you actually 'feel' the wild spark coursing through their reserved but tempted British veins. You can imagine how bold this must have been at the cinema in May 1947. Then Byron's beautiful yet deadly face as she emerges wild-eyed at the end of the movie from the convent doors in her civilian clothes - Deborah Kerr on the bell...pretty potent stuff still...

Admittedly, some parts of the scenery seem weak - the washed-out blue of the palace walls, the now obvious matt drawings doubling as the sheer mountain drop by the famous bell... But with the wind and the superb scale of the set, you're almost completely fooled into believing that these out-of-place nuns actually are in sweaty and difficult India - absolutely all of it filmed in Pinewood without every leaving England (except one outside shot).

The audio is old though - and sounds it - but it's acceptable. There's also a 30-minute plus making of called "The Profile Of..." which features interviews and insightful stuff from Kathleen Byron on the abrasive directing ways of Powell and the strong yet serene Kerr, who knew just how to handle him and his bullying.

Having watched a few dogs lately on Blu-Ray of old films, it's nice to see one that actually benefits from the format. It's absolutely NOT as good as the BR versions of "Cool Hand Luke", "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Zulu" or the early Bond films like "Dr. No" or "From Russia With Love" (where truly exceptional restoration work has taken place), but it's the best this film has ever looked - and for fans of "Black Narcissus" - it's a must buy.

This film has had my attention since I can't remember. In our time this would be an A Film as it was then. The picture quality is amazing. It has never looked so good. The Mono sound is a chance to enjoy the Art of the Monaural sound track. To see this film, uncut, like this is the best extra. If you haven't seen this fantastic film that outraged and captivated audiences in a time really not so far away; you don't know what you're missing!

I disagree strongly with the previous reviewer who said this is not a distinct improvement over the Criterion disc. Although Criterion is generally a very reliable company, it has to be said that the Black Narcissus DVD is not one of their best productions. The clarity and colors on the blu ray seem to me to be very much improved over the Criterion and this is a movie where the visuals are just about everything. The only drawback to this improved sharpness is that many of the painted backdrops are much more attention grabbing to me now, but that's okay.

The film on this UK blu ray played fine in my American PS3. As previously pointed out, however, American blu ray players won't play the extra features, so you are basically buying only the film here, and it is always possible that Criterion will do a blu ray edition down the road so waiting is certainly a reasonable option if you aren't in a hurry. But for now, I would buy this import blu ray over the current Criterion DVD. If you want to see screen caps to judge the difference for yourself, the website dvdbeaver has some samples for comparison. If there is a running time difference, that is because UK discs and US discs vary ever so slightly in speed of playback, which adds up over the whole course of a film but isn't really something you notice in watching a film; it is not because of missing footage as far as I can tell.

Beware that this is NOT a Criterion version, so it is lacking all the DVD versions PLUS its 4 minutes shorter than the DVD. The quality is also not that much better than the DVD