The first impression of the film is that the colors and landscapes are a beauty rarely seen in contemporary films. This is intentional. British films of the same era were all about reality. And at that time, many filmmakers were actually walking on the road of realism. However, this film seems to be very detached from reality, especially fantasy. It is a story with a strong sense of fiction and setting, and everything has a kind of intentional typicality.
Narratively, what I find interesting about this film is that there are two light and dark clues about "exposure" (I don't know if the word exposure can be translated in this way). At its core, pun intended, is Exposure to nature. Here nature has two meanings. One is the natural environment. The solitary monastery converted from the palace of the old concubines in India, with high mountains and strong winds, is far away from the hustle and bustle, surrounded by foreigners and pagans. There are many scenes in the film about people being exposed to nature. Such as the wide open windows at night, the wind in the fields, the clock on the edge of the cliff, the heavy rain. The other is human nature, the nun's emotions. One by one, the nuns are shaken by this isolated state, the way of life of the natives that is true to nature and nature. Sister Philippa planted the place where the vegetables were grown into flowers, which was a prelude to their surrender. It can be said that Mr. Dean is the embodiment of the desires of the nuns, a carrier. His unbridled way of life makes him both the object of desire and a manifestation of the content of desire. It's just that the nuns could barely maintain the balance between the cultivating life and the outside world, but the death of the local baby broke this balance. After being ostracized by the locals, the monastery was in a more isolated situation, and Mr. Dean became their only channel to contact the outside world, which finally pushed Sister Ruth to take practical action.
The contrast between Sister Clodagh and Sister Ruth seems to point to the dangers of desire, while restraint brings good results. However, I personally think that the heavy rain at the end also seems to imply that Sister Clodagh's exposed state cannot be completely lifted, because just as it is impossible to completely isolate nature, human beings cannot isolate nature. As for whether this film is a reflection on Western centralism, I think it is possible. After all, the title of the film is the name of the British perfume sprinkled on the handkerchief of the Indian major general, which can also be understood as a dangerous living color and fragrance. But that shouldn't be the point. The local folk scene of India + China + late Qing Dynasty style produced by YY may, like many Western works at that time, only appear in the background of the story as a symbol of the mysterious East (usually considered to be closely related to nature).
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