Saturday 26 November 2016

What If? Metropolis: Texture Influence Map


What If? Metropolis: Orthographs and Working Out Road Layout



Review: 'Black Narcissus' by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (1947)

FIGURE 1 - Black Narcissus
Black Narcissus was made in 1947 by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and is widely known for its use of technicolour and matte paintings. It is a film that widely deals with isolation and female sexuality and brings a strange new light into the life of a nun. The whole set within the film is an illusion, all created using matte paintings and an artificial set and miniatures, creating a luxurious strangeness to the environment and story line. The film follows a group of nuns that get sent to Mount Mopu to do some work. The emotional and sexually driven conflict within Black Narcissus slowly takes over each of the characters. Sister Clodagh begins to have flashbacks of a former lover all driven by her relationship with Mr Dean throughout. She also starts to become more and more intimidated by Mr Dean. Sister Ruth seems to completely lose all previous boundaries and beliefs after she starts to fall in love with Mr Dean. 
       The use of colour within Black Narcissus really creates a feeling of high theatricality and contrast. Taking inspiration from Van Gogh, directors Powell and Pressburger created a strange, new environment almost verging on surrealism. Using strange lighting techniques for the time, such as the scene in which 'Sister Ruth' is sitting at the desk, completely lit by red light, just as she is starting to move away from the nun lifestyle. ''The use of red is feverish and is as effective and foreboding as Nicholas Roeg's 'Don't Look Now'.'' (Ebert, 2010). This lighting is used throughout to show the demise of Sister Ruth and the underlying sexual frustration slowly taking over throughout. The colour at the start of the film is quite dull and pastel. Almost plain and 'pure', but the second half of the film is when the colours start to show. More vibrant colours become apparent. (Figure 2) ''Powell's use of Technicolour is stunning. The introduction of the more vibrant hues dominate the film.'' (Ebert, 2010). 

FIGURE 2 - Sister Ruth
The set used within Black Narcissus is really very extensive and detailed. Some of which creating the underlying idea of female sexuality and frustration. Within the building on the top of Mount Mopu, the interior is covered in paintings of topless and naked figures, mostly women. The paintings connoting the locals beliefs and ideas about women in their society. Furthermore, how women should be equal to everyone else, and should be able to explore the sexual desires. This is constantly exposed to the nuns working within this building, and creates a huge contrast between the two 'religious' beliefs at play, it really is a film based on oppositions. The placement of the nun's building on top of the hill creates a heavenly image to the nuns, looking down upon the rest of the locals at the bottom if the hill. Furthermore, the matte paintings within the film make the hill look even higher up than it actually is. Powell created a vast detailed environment, without having to travel to actual locations. ''It is easy to tell if you look carefully that they are using miniatures, especially viewing with modern eyes. As the film progresses, however, it begins to feel like real India. We get lost in that world, thanks to Michael Powell's idea to shoot everything in the studio'' (West, 2015). We also see one of the sisters plant flowers instead of vegetables in the garden. This connoting the ideals of spring bringing growth and reproduction. Flowers are reproductive systems, constantly reproducing and sprouting. The idea that she did this could connote that she will always go back to her sexuality, and her desires and wants, as it is human nature. Humans are animals highly motivated by sexual desire.

FIGURE 3 - Black Narcissus
The use of costume throughout creates similar ideas to the use of set. When Sister Ruth runs away, she is wearing all red, contrasting to how we see her in pure white throughout most of the film. She slowly becomes more red. Towards the beginning of the film we see her pure white outfit covered in blood, and then further in, we see her put red lipstick on in a close up shot, then leading to her complete red outfit. This connotes her demise, and how she has let her sexual frustration take her away from her 'pure white' lifestyle. Red is the colour of passion, love and lust. 
          Black Narcissus is also one of the only films created in which the male character is objectified. Mr Dean always has skin on show, often shown topless. His body is a huge part of this film, with Sister Ruth always coming in when he is topless. He is presented as a stereotype of the perfect man, being strong and attractive, with all of the women lusting after him. Black Narcissus a film about what is not being said, not only at the time it was set and made, but within the film also. It has underlying desire and ideals. It is a film that gets more and more blooded towards the end and where repression seems to fall. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1. Criterion Close-Up. (2016). Black Narcissus, 1947, Powell & Pressburger. [online] Available at: https://criterioncloseup.com/2015/07/13/black-narcissus-1947-powell-pressburger/ [Accessed 26 Nov. 2016].

2. Mirasol, M. (2016). "Black Narcissus," which electrified Scorsese | Far Flungers | Roger Ebert. [online] Rogerebert.com. Available at: http://www.rogerebert.com/far-flung-correspondents/black-narcissus-which-electrified-scorsese [Accessed 26 Nov. 2016].

ILLUSTRATIONS:

Figure 1. Daily Grindhouse. (2016). WHY 'BLACK NARCISSUS' IS THE NUNSPLOITATION FILM WE'VE ALWAYS DESERVED - Daily Grindhouse. [online] Available at: http://dailygrindhouse.com/thewire/black-narcissus-1947/ [Accessed 26 Nov. 2016].

Figure 2. The Geller Report. (2016). Saturday Night Cinema: Black Narcissus (1947) - The Geller Report. [online] Available at: http://pamelageller.com/2016/10/saturday-night-cinema-black-narcissus-1947.html/ [Accessed 26 Nov. 2016].

Figure 3. Experience, M. (2016). Mattes Go High Definition: The BluRay Experience. [online] Nzpetesmatteshot.blogspot.co.uk. Available at: http://nzpetesmatteshot.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/mattes-go-high-definition-bluray.html [Accessed 26 Nov. 2016].

What If? Metropolis: Orthographs




What If? Metropolis: Orthographs (UPDATED)