Film Essay: Nuns and Sexuality: The Controversy of "Black Narcissus"

One of the grand works of 40s cinema that audiences and filmmakers still find to be visually stunning to this very day is the 1947 classic "Black Narcissus". From its grand-scale cinematography, to its use of colors that make the film look like a living painting, to its gorgeous set designs that give the film plenty of personality, it's a must-see for anyone who's looking to get into the art of film-making. Style isn't the only thing that holds the film together. There is still substance from an acting and character standpoint to keep audiences hooked. And of course, there needs to be a compelling story to hold it all together, that the film certainly delivers, only to give audiences at the time more than what they were expecting. The film wasn't a typical melodrama to have great performances with a breathtaking visual style, it became controversial containing elements that audiences weren't quite comfortable with at the time.



The film's premise is a subject matter that's rarely talked about in films, especially when being made passed the pre-code era. Nuns are sent to a princely state in the Himalayas to set-up a school and hospital for the citizens. An innocent set-up for a film about nuns, until it's revealed that the place where they are establishing their religious community is where the general's father used to keep his mistresses. The idea of watching nuns on-screen tend to a place that was once a pleasure house is not the typical location that you'd see in a film involving nuns like 'The Bells of St. Mary's" or "Song of Bernadette". One can imagine that just because it's set in a place that was once full sin is something that can be easily overlooked, however, the sins of the past are not forgotten visually. There is still erotic artwork on the walls surrounding the nuns, reminding them that this a place full of undying history, despite their best efforts to sanitize their new home. Sins of the past come back to haunt the place when two of their students is a 17-year-old orphan wearing very suggestive clothing (Jean Simmons), and the general's new heir (Sabu) who wears flashy clothing and perfume with an attractive scent (called "Black Narcissus") who has an attraction to the rebellious orphan.



It's bad enough for people to watch nuns witness this, but it gets worse when the character Mr. Dean (David Farrar) interacts with them. Mr. Dean isn't exactly a bad person. He does warn the nuns about the dangers surrounding the place they're working at and does try to comfort them on a few occasions. Nevertheless, he's far from being pure compared to other characters in cinema at the time that aided nuns. For most of the film, Mr. Dean is shown to be wearing shorts that are nearly as short as undergarments, who at times will even interact with the nuns with his shirt off exposing his hairy chest. It sounds similar to the shock value used for the film's setting and two of the people they teach; only Mr. Dean takes things a step further when it's shown that he is hitting on the nuns. From the way he chooses to present himself to the nuns, it's clear that he's looking for pleasure as opposed to business, despite his acknowledgment that nuns are off-limits for when it comes to sex. The film doesn't flat-out show him telling the nuns his lust for them, it's all implied by his body language, wardrobe, and wolf-like personality. That doesn't mean that he's not given plenty of subtle sexual innuendos. For instance, as he's fixing a pipe, he tells one of the nuns that he carries a pipe she would be interested in, indicating that he means his phallus. Another scene hints that he may want to settle down with one by asking her if she likes children or not as a group of kids are in sight. Mr. Dean at one point openly yet subtly questions if the nun thinks that the beautiful orphan he brought to their nunnery is someone he may have had an affair with, wondering if the nun is thinking any dirty thoughts based on his playboy personality. As if watching a nun being hit on isn't shocking enough for audiences at the time, there's a young native acting as their interrupter who picks up on the innuendos as some of these exchanges are taking place.



From all this exposure to sex, it begins to affect these nuns drastically. For Mr. Dean and the young general’s attractive looks and charm, some begin to form an attraction towards them, gossiping about their good looks and having a lack of sleep just from thinking of them. Their feelings about men (particularly Mr. Dean) eventually becomes toxic as they are shown to be struggling with their sexuality. An already ill Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron) falls for Mr. Dean to the point where she goes into pure insanity. No longer does Sister Ruth remain as a plain nun wearing a white robe. She now dresses in a sexy red dress while applying red lipstick with a hunger for sex. When finding herself rejected for her desires by the man she has fallen for, it turns her into a blood-hungry demon seeking to murder the leader of their clan Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr). Sister Clodagh herself struggles with her sexuality as well, only she represses them. Unfortunately, the environment takes a toll on her when she is reminded of her life before she was nun. A gorgeous woman who was madly in love with the man she was dating, until he left her behind causing her to become a nun so she can never love again. Her memories along with the film's current event have caused her to wonder if she joined this religious cult for the right reason. As one can imagine watching nun's question about their sexuality, as the film would later show sides of them that film has never shown before whether it would be showing their past or becoming mad with lust have angered Catholics.

For the film's sexual content involving nuns, many scenes for its American release were cut (that were thankfully later restored). It is not hard to understand why given its content. As tame as the film may seem by modern audiences, the subject of nun's dealing with their sexuality remains as a controversial topic. Furthermore, despite the film not being able to take a raunchy direction that would be considered R rated when the rating system would be established, what they were able to show  to cover the subject became strong enough to show a shocking and thought-provoking new look at nuns in film.