Censorship In Black Narcissus

Censorship was in its full regulatory glory in the 1940s, with the Production Code Administration (or the PCA) carefully reviewing whether or not films met certain guidelines which were listed in the Production Code. One example of censorship under the Production Code is the film Black Narcissus, made in 1947, which follows an order of Anglican nuns’ acclimation to helping a remote village in the Himalayas. The Production Code, created by the Roman Catholic Church and enforced by the PCA, found issues with Black Narcissus’ sexual inferences, suggestive illicit sex, and potentially offensive portrayal of religious figures. These issues were resolved in the early stages of production and the final product was then approved by the Production Code, but the American public (specifically American Catholics) found much offense with the film and further censoring was required for screening the film in certain states.
The first main concern addressed with Black Narcissus were the many sexual innuendos from the character of Mr. Dean—an English man living in the village where the nuns …show more content…
Firstly, Sister Ruth, quits the order and becomes evil, wearing a red dress in the last scenes, trying to seduce Mr. Dean, and attempting to kill Sister Clodagh by pushing her off the mountain. Originally, the nuns were Roman Catholic, but the MPA suggested the portrayed looseness of Roman Catholic Orders would offend specifically American viewers. The MPA even suggested how to fix this issue, writing “YOU WILL REWRITE AND MAKE TECHNICALLY CORRECT: ‘THROUGHOUT THE WORLD A GROUP OF FAITHFUL NUNS […] CARRY ON THE CHARITABLE WORK OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND’” (Breen “June 5, 1947”). While the novel Black Narcissus labeled the nuns as Roman Catholic, the studio heeded the MPA’s warning and changed the nuns into Anglican nuns however, American Catholics were still appalled by the resulting