Black Narcissus
1947
A group of British nuns attempts to establish a convent school and hospital in a remote and sensually charged Himalayan mountain community, but the overpowering landscape and local culture begin to test their spiritual resolve. A visually sumptuous Powell and Pressburger classic.
Directors
- Michael Powell
- Emeric Pressburger
Cast
- Deborah Kerr
- Flora Robson
- Jean Simmons
- David Farrar
- Sabu
- Esmond Knight
- Kathleen Byron
Filming Locations
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Leonardslee Gardens
Leonardslee Gardens in West Sussex, with its exotic trees and plants suited to the Indian setting, was used for exterior garden and grounds scenes at the convent, one of the few location shoots in this otherwise entirely studio-made film.
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Pinewood Studios
The entire Himalayan convent of St Faith - the Palace of Mopu - was constructed on scaffolding at Pinewood and supplemented with matte paintings and miniatures, making it one of cinema's most celebrated studio-built environments.