Black narcissus
BBC1, last night
Evaluation: 
For rent, spacious holiday rental with spectacular views, not suitable for people with vertigo. Pets are allowed (no responsibility for tragic animal accidents). Customers are advised to keep mirrors covered at all times.
No wonder His Excellency the General has trouble finding tenants for his Himalayan palace in Black Narcissus (BBC1). The shutters open and the doors narrow. Cats fall dead. The janitor takes out bowls of milk for the resident ghost and the property comes with a zombied yogic holy man.
Ambitious sister Clodagh is determined to ignore all of this role, as she and her four nuns set up a Christian mission school, called St Faith.
The older sister is played by former Girl Bond Gemma Arterton, who was Strawberry Fields in the unforgettable Quantum Of Solace (you might wish this fact wasn’t always trotting, but of course it will be Strawberry Fields forever).
Ambitious sister Clodagh is determined to ignore all of this role, as she and her four nuns set up a Christian mission school, called St Faith.
Mopu Palace, on India’s border with Nepal, was home to the concubines of the local maharaja. In 1914, his bewildered daughter threw herself from the bell tower into the ravine, and now, 20 years later, her restless specter attacks the corridors, appearing in mirrors like a kind of reverse vampire.
“It is true,” murmurs the general (Kulvinder Ghir), “I have never liked this palace.”
Clodagh refuses to be distracted by this, and when the very rude Ruth (Aisling Franciosi) begins to stammer to see the dead, she gives him a strong touch around the wimple.
But not even Clodagh can remain oblivious to the evil charm of Dean, played by Alessandro Nivola. Mr. Dean flirts with all the nuns, a cigarette held between his lips like a sexy Andy Capp. Ruth gets weak on her knees every time he looks at her.
The older sister is also fantasizing about walking through sunlit meadows and diving into the lakes, and I don’t think we need Dr. Freud to tell us what it’s all about.
If you haven’t seen the 1947 Oscar-winning film starring Deborah Kerr, this adaptation of Rumer Godden’s novel strikes you as original and startling: an erotically charged combination of a psychological horror film and Call The Midwife. In one scene, the ladies are teaching local rapscallions, and in the next, they get sneered at the fading harem murals.
And they are all attracted by the stone staircase that clings, without a balustrade, to the side of the palace on a pure cliff. It is the only way to the bell tower and the nuns need to ring a bell regularly. You would think that Mr. Dean, rather, could at least fix a wooden railing.
The strangeness called Black Narcissus continues tonight and concludes tomorrow. It’s easily the best thing that has happened over Christmas. Even if you’re not a fan of ghost stories, it’s worth looking at their stunning scenery. Partially shot in Nepal, it has a backdrop of such vast mountains that they seem too big to fit in the sky.
Jim Broadbent also has a cameo, which plays a priest pretending to have a fever to leave the place
She also features the late Dame Diana Rigg in her latest television role, quickly punctuating Sister Clodagh’s creepy attitude, before sending her to the icy north, announcing that no one thinks she’s up to the job. .
Jim Broadbent also has a cameo, which plays a priest pretending to have a fever to leave the place.
Accessible pieces for aging TV titans can make production worse: Orson Welles used to do a lot of them, his presence indicated that the budget had been wasted even before filming began.
But the appearance of these two stars in the first scenes was well judged, which assured us that this unusual story had a high-level foundation and attention to detail.
Rosie Cavaliero, Karen Bryson and Patsy Ferran are the other missionaries, tightly wrapped in their thick cotton habits. When they lay down to spend the first night on the floor of the stone palace, their heads and bodies were tied with white cloth and looked like medieval plague corpses.
Despite the strength of the cast surrounding her, Miss Arterton’s job is very important to bring the drama. Sister Clodagh’s self-confidence has been diminished by the superior mother’s prediction that she is too self-centered and too inexperienced to deal with it.
The slightest threats to her authority make her tremble with anger. Even the failure of the inner toilet when washing is considered a personal affront. So when Mr. Dean walks through the muddy yard, whistling insolently and recovering the primordial emotions he thought were buried, the poor woman will be forced to be stunned.
All the inhabitants exchange knowledge of leers. This place was formerly called the House of Women, and the absurd disappointment has submerged its walls. Ankle-length gowns and a wooden crucifix are no protection against this.
The House Of Women would get a better title than Black Narcissus. In that case, so would The Ghost of the Concubine, the death of the general’s sister, or, if you wanted to go to Mills & Boon, what do you think of The Heights Of Forbidden Passion?
But forget the name. All the rest of this is wonderful.