“Described by Martin Scorsese as, ‘a cross between Disney and a horror film’…Black Narcissus is iconically and almost ethereally beautiful. A full-blooded, complex melodrama of the highest order, it is truly, madly, hysterically wonderful.” -Emma Simmonds, PopMatters

This explosive work about the conflict between the spirit and the flesh is the epitome of the sensuous style of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. A group of nuns—played by some of Britain’s finest actresses, including Deborah Kerr, Kathleen Byron, and Flora Robson—struggle to establish a convent in the Himalayas, while isolation, extreme weather, altitude, and culture clashes all conspire to drive the well-intentioned missionaries mad. A darkly grand film that won Oscars for Alfred Junge’s art direction and Jack Cardiff’s cinematography, Black Narcissus is one of the greatest achievements by two of cinema’s true visionaries.

This screening is part of Arkadin’s month-long NUNS HAVING FUN series, featuring films that show what really goes on behind the habit.