That skin. That hair. Those eyes, juggling panic, earnestness and compassion. Black Narcissus was the first film I saw by the matchless team of Pressburger and Powell, and in it, Kerr was her own special effect, careening about in the damndest nun’s habit this side of Sister Bertrille. Whether dealing with the local yokels or a psychotic, jealous peer hellbent on doing her in (the truly terrifying Kathleen Byron) Kerr’s Sister Clodagh hangs tough and ultimately triumphs against adversity, framed against staggering Himalayan vistas created by art director Alfred Junge (who won an Oscar for his work). The New York Film Critics voted Kerr the best actress of the year for her work. One of the greats.
