Film Review – Black Narcissus (1947)

Fig 1, Black Narcissus, 1947

This review will be looking at the 1947 film, Black Narcissus, which was directed by Michael
Powell and Emeric Pressburger. More specifically, the review will be focused on the
semiotics of the film, both the religious and sexual as they are two of the main themes of
the film.
Black Narcissus is a film about a group of Anglican nuns who go to an old brothel in the
Himalayas, in the hopes turning it into a school and a hospital. Their interactions with the
local people, the weather and each other cause a series of issues to arise. The film contains
a series of religious and sexual imagery and symbols that, ultimately, give the film a greater
meaning.
Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols and their interpretations or use. The film is filled
with sexual and religious signs and symbols that have meaning. In the film, we see a series
of bird and a room filled with bird cages. “Angels are associated with birds more than any
other animal because angels that appear to humans in heavenly glory sometimes feature
wings.” (Hopler, W. 2018). The use of bird cages could be interpreted as a symbolism for
religious repression. The nuns, especially sister Ruth, realise the repression that comes with
their religious belief. It limits their interactions with men and stops them from doing certain
things. The nuns also begin to question their faith and seem to stray away from God. Thus,
showing that the repression isnt just of the things they can and can’t due to their religion,
but also the repression of their own faith and belief. But the semiotics of the cage hinting at
religious repression don’t just stop at religion. Sister Ruth hints at religious and sexual
repression.
 Fig 2, Lipstick scene, 1947

Sister Ruth begins to question her religion and is envious of Sister Clodagh and Deans
interactions and begins to spiral into madness. Her madness could be seen as sexual
repression that leads to madness. But the thing that links the sexual repression to the
religious repression is the bird cage. Although birds symbolise angels, they also symbolise
freedom. And it’s the sexual freedom that Sister Ruth craves. Sexual repression is also
shown through Ruth when she wears red lipstick. When the red lipstick is applied, it’s as if
the Nun is totally giving into her sexual desire, almost being consumed by it in a way that
leads her to become crazy. Lipstick also has sexual meaning. “According to Diane Ackerman,
author of A Natural History of the Senses, anthropologists believe that red lips serve as a
reminder of the labia, which “flush red and swell when they’re aroused.” (Yesterface, 2011).
This emphasises the sexual repression through symbolism, ultimately showing how
significant and prominent the sexual and religious semiotics are.
But Sister Ruth isnt the only example of sexual and religious semiotics. The very building the
Sisters are trying to renovate has deeper symbolism. Two buildings in particular come to
mind when considering the repression of characters which are haunted by past events, but
which also question and impose different aspects of eroticism. One is the monastery in
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s Black Narcissus (1947), the other is The Overlook
Hotel in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980). The two films have a pleasing dynamic parallel
though are explicitly different in how their buildings effect the psychological and sexual
make-up of the people unfortunate enough to be housed within their haunted walls.”
(Scovell, A. 2014). The quote hints at the idea of how the brothel brings out the sexual
repression within the characters. It causes them to go against their religion that teaches
abstinence and causes Ruth to give in to her most primal and basic urge. Brothels aren’t a
place that you associate people of the Church with. So, by placing nuns in a place that goes
against their teachings, the directors are able to create symbols and meaning that merges
the two and causes a conflict. And the nature of the brothel causes a conflict between the
sexual and the religious for the nuns. This shows that even buildings show meaning and
symbolism, both sexual and religious.
Overall, the semiotics in Black Narcissus are mostly sexual and religious and show the
repression of these two films. Ruth and the brothel are a way of merging the sexual and
religious meaning.
Bibliography

• Hopler, W. (2018) ‘The Spiritual Meanings of Birds’. At:

https://www.thoughtco.com/birds-as-divine-messengers-animal-angels-124476
Accessed 28/11/18
• Scovell, A (2014) The Unleashing of Repressed Eroticism in Black Narcissus (1947) and
The Shining (1980). At: https://celluloidwickerman.com/2014/08/18/the-unleashing-
of-repressed-eroticism-in-black-narcissus-1947-and-the-shining-1980/ Accessed
28/11/2018
• Yesterface (2011) WHY DO WOMEN WEAR RED LIPSTICK? At:
https://yesterface.wordpress.com/2011/06/05/why-do-women-wear-red-lipstick/
Accessed 28/11/2018
Illustrations

• Figure 1, Black Narcissus, (1947) [Poster] At:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039192/
Accessed 28/11/18
• Figure 2, Lipstick scene, (1947) [Image] At:
https://glamourdaze.com/2012/09/1940s-makeup-the-famous-lipstick-scene-in-
black-narcissus.html
Accessed 28/11/2018