MO Films

'Painting With Light' reveals the influences behind Jack Cardiff’s stunning, Oscar winning cinematography on the classic British film 'Black Narcissus'.  Jack candidly recounts in detail and anecdote how the cinematic powerhouse duo of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger gave him the scope to reach new heights in artistic achievement when lighting the recreated Himalayan mountains entirely in an English studio.

Martin Scorsese, Thelma Schoonmaker -Powell and actress Kathleen Byron (Sister Ruth) among others explain the unique power and timeless allure of this masterpiece which brought Jack world-wide acclaim and propelled him to the top of his profession, making his name synonymous with Technicolor photography and much sought after in Hollywood. Michael Powell reveals how Jack and the formidable art director Alfred Junge would have endless battles, yet their combined talents “just worked miracles”.

“We need to keep making films like this,  drawing peoples attention to the use of cinematography and colour.” - Martin Scorsese from Painting With Light

 “He gave me half my performance with his lighting.”
                                            - Kathleen Byron from Painting With Light

“Then there’s the fab Technicolor photography by Jack Cardiff, rightly given credit on the doc ‘Painting With Light’, which here serves as a tasty extra.”

Time Out

“The documentary is great,” especially since it allows film buffs to meet one the greatest cinematographers of all time.”

The Cinema Laser DVD Review

There is also an excellent documentary on Jack Cardiff called

 “Painting With Light”, which is an amazingly informative piece that really gets into the nuts and bolts of the difficult Technicolor process. “

DVD Movie Central

“..covers everything you could want to known about the visual creation of this film”

Mondo Digital

“..shows the sheer artistry and inventiveness of the 'look' of Black Narcissus”

DVD Savant

“There's a terrific 27-minute documentary called Painting with Light about cinematographer Jack Cardiff. Lots of nifty information about the Technicolor process is imparted and it features a terrific mini-interview with Kathleen Byron who played Sister Ruth.”

Reel.com