Black Narcissus

dir. Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
1947 | 100 minutes, projected on 16mm

A group of Anglican nuns, led by Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr), are sent to a mountain in the Himalayas. The climate in the region is hostile and the nuns are housed in an odd old palace. They work to establish a school and a hospital, but slowly their focus shifts. Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron) falls for a government worker, Mr. Dean (David Farrar), and begins to question her vow of celibacy. As Sister Ruth obsesses over Mr. Dean, Sister Clodagh becomes immersed in her own memories of love.

Black Narcissus was filmed in Technicolor in 1946. This screening’s 16mm print of Black Narcissus was made using the IB (imbibition) Tech process. IB Tech used a process similar to Kodachrome; during development, the film went through tanks of yellow, magenta, and cyan azo dyes, which were absorbed by three gelatin emulsion layers to creative a full color image. IB Tech prints are known for their saturated colors, 3-dimensionality and, most importantly, for their resistance to fade. As a result, this print will be more accurate to the director’s vision and the 1948 original in color rendition and intensity than either a digital reproduction or a film print made on another type of stock.

Kinonik, a Portland non-profit formed in 2016, collects, preserves, and screens 16mm film prints. Its mission is to preserve the analog film experience by projecting classic films by auteur directors. Find more information and film schedules at www.kinonik.org.