Black Daffodil
BBC1, last night
Evaluation: 
For rent, spacious vacation rental with spectacular views, not suitable for those suffering from vertigo. Pets welcome (we are not responsible for tragic accidents with animals). Guests are advised to keep mirrors always covered.
It is no wonder that His Excellency the General is having trouble finding tenants for his Himalayan palace in Black Narcissus (BBC1). The shutters open and the doors slam. Cats die. The caretaker distributes bowls of milk to the resident ghost and the property comes with a zombified holy yogi man.
The ambitious sister Clodagh is determined not to pay any attention to this whole roster, as she and her four nuns founded a Christian mission school, called St Faith.
The Upper Sister is played by ex-Bond Girl Gemma Arterton, who was Strawberry Fields in the forgettable Quantum Of Solace (she may wish that fact will not always be disclosed, but of course she will be Strawberry Fields forever).
The ambitious Sister Clodagh is determined not to pay attention to all this folly, as she and her four nuns founded a Christian missionary school called St Faith
The Mopu Palace, on the Indian-Nepal border, was once the home of the local Maharajah’s concubines. In 1914, his maddened daughter threw herself from the bell tower into the ravine, and now, 20 years later, her restless specter lurks in the corridors, appearing in mirrors as a kind of reverse vampire.
‘Truth be told,’ murmurs the General (Kulvinder Ghir), ‘I never liked this palace.’
The sensible Clodagh refuses to be distracted by this, and when the extremely nervous newcomer Ruth (Aisling Franciosi) starts babbling about seeing the dead, she gives him a strong spanking around the cap.
But even Clodagh cannot ignore Mr. Dean’s diabolical charm, played by Alessandro Nivola. Mr. Dean flirts with all the nuns, a cigarette stuck between his lips like a sexy Andy Capp. Ruth’s knees are weak every time he looks at her.
Sister Superior also has the fantasy of riding through sunny meadows and swimming naked in lakes, and I don’t think we need Dr. Freud to tell us what it is about.
If you haven’t seen the 1947 Oscar-winning film with Deborah Kerr, this adaptation of Rumer Godden’s novel looks original and surprising – an erotically charged combination of a psychological horror film and Call The Midwife. In one scene, the ladies are teaching local rapscallions, in the next they are having hot flashes on the fading harem murals.
And they are all drawn to the stone staircase that clings, without a balustrade, to the side of the palace above a steep cliff. It is the only way to the bell tower and nuns need to ring a bell regularly. You would think that the evil Mr. Dean could at least fix a wooden railing.
The strange-named Black Narcissus continues tonight and ends tomorrow. It is easily the best thing that happened at Christmas. Even if you are not a fan of ghost stories, it is worth watching for the stunning scenery. Filmed partly on location in Nepal, it is set against the backdrop of mountains so vast they seem too big to fit in the sky.
Jim Broadbent also made a cameo, playing a priest pretending to have a fever to leave the post
He also presents the late Dame Diana Rigg in her final TV role, quickly cutting off Sister Clodagh’s arrogant attitude before dispatching her to the icy north, announcing that no one thinks she is up to the job.
Jim Broadbent also has a cameo, playing a priest pretending to have a fever to leave the post.
Passing pieces for aged television titans can make bad production worse: Orson Welles used to do many of them, his presence signaling that the budget was wasted even before filming started.
But the appearance of these two stars in the opening scenes was well evaluated, assuring us that this unusual story was based on high standards and attention to detail.
Rosie Cavaliero, Karen Bryson and Patsy Ferran are the other missionaries, heavily tied in their thick cotton habits. When they lay down to spend the first night on the stone floor of the palace, their heads and bodies wrapped in white fabric looked like corpses of the medieval plague.
Despite the strength of the cast around her, it is Miss. Arterton conduct the drama. Sister Clodagh’s self-confidence was destroyed by Mother Superior’s prediction that she is too self-centered and inexperienced to deal with the situation.
The slightest threats to her authority make her tremble with rage. Even the lack of flushing the bathroom is considered a personal affront. So when Mr. Dean strolls through the muddy courtyard, whistling insolently and reliving primitive emotions that she thought were buried, the poor woman is bound to be nervous.
All the locals exchange malicious looks. This place used to be called the House of Women, and licentious debauchery invaded its walls. Ankle-length tunics and a wooden crucifix do not protect against this.
Casa das Mulheres would be a better title than Narciso Negro. By the way, the same would happen with The Concubine’s Ghost, Death Of The General’s Sister – or, if you wanted to go to Mills & Boon, how about The Heights Of Forbidden Passion?
But forget the name. Everything else about it is wonderful.