Fascinating trivia (and any goofs) connected with the film
- The much admired Himalayan scenery was all created in the studio
(with glass shots and hanging miniatures).
- Even that vertiginous drop below the bell tower is really a clever
bit of painting. The place where they stand to ring the bell was
really only about 4 feet above the ground!
- The hunt shown in the flashback sequences is the Galway
Blazers Foxhounds. The Master of Foxhounds at the time was
John Huston.
- The part of Sister Ruth was originally intended for
Pamela Brown.
- The Gardens at Leonard's Lee, Horsham, Sussex were owned
and maintained throughout the war by
Sir Giles Loder.
It was his knowledge of these exotic gardens that partly
decided Michael Powell to make this film mainly
in the studio. That and his usual sense of devilment.
- When we see Clodagh & Con riding with the fox hunt, we see
them in close up leading the riders. Clodagh is on a white horse,
Con is on a brown horse. But in the long shot of the riders there
is no sign of a white horse.
- When Sister Ruth spies on Sister Clodagh as she confesses all
to Mr Dean, Sister Ruth is looking through a lattice panel.
But when we first see that odd little platform in our first
view of the palace, there is no lattice panel at the end.
- The statue of Saint Faith that Mr Dean puts up for the nuns
(and almost drops) is seen earlier in the film when Mr Dean
first meets Sisters Clodagh & Briony.
But when he puts it up on the plinth they have to take it out
of the box. Did they repack it?
- The morning after the sick baby, Sister Honey can't find her
pocket. Isn't she used to wearing her habit?
- When Sister Clodagh rings the alarm bell, a gust of wind makes
her put her hand up to hold her headgear. Wouldn't she know it
is strapped on?
- When Sister Ruth puts on her famous red lipstick, she does it
fairly casually. It's not very neat, especially at the corners
of her mouth. But after she's run away and struggled through
the jungle to Mr Dean's bungalow her lipstick is immaculate.
- On the first night we are told the young general (not Sabu,
he inherits the title later) is ill. The drums are beating.
"When they stop, that means he's dead". But what if he gets better?
Do the drummers have to drum continually?
- After the child dies we actually see some of the drummers.
But not one of them is keeping anything like the same rhythm
as the drumbeat on the soundtrack :)
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