Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s 1945 romantic romp continues to delight
Few filmmaking partnerships loom as large in British cinema as Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, and I Know Where I’m Going! is one of their most quietly spellbinding works. A romantic comedy that weaves together folk rhythm, emotional intelligence, and an abiding case for following your heart.
Set during the tail end of World War II, the film introduces us to Joan Webster (Wendy Hiller), a headstrong, self-assured young woman. Joan knows exactly what she wants from life, or at least she believes she does. Championed and perhaps overindulged by her father, she has grown into someone confident in her own worth, convinced she deserves more than her modest circumstances. Her solution is an elevation through marriage, and she sets up nuptials with Sir Robert Bellinger (Norman Shelley), a wealthy industrialist who resides on the remote Scottish island of Kiloran. En route, a freak storm prevents Joan from crossing to Kiloran, leaving her stranded on the mainland just days out from her wedding. Inconvenience becomes serendipity as it is here that Joan meets Torquil MacNeil (Roger Livesey), a naval officer and the low-ranking Laird of Kiloran, who maintains a modest estate on land technically owned by Joan’s betrothed. A contrast to Joan with a more grounded and principled air, the pair soon connect, and in the surrounds of a Scottish village start to develop a relationship that throw Joan’s best laid plans up in the air.
What follows is a gently burgeoning romance, one that dallies in whimsy without ever losing sight of its emotional stakes. Joan waits for the day she can finally reach the altar, but in doing so something unexpected takes root. The film asks a deceptively simple question: do we cling to the future we’ve meticulously planned, or risk everything for one that feels truer, even if it feels far less certain?
Joan’s personality is sketched with effortless economy, most notably in a delightful montage charting her development from childhood onward, establishing the foundations of her relentless confidence. Wendy Hiller plays her with social airs and graces intact, but with just enough vulnerability beneath the surface to let us sense the cracks forming. Livesay is a genteel and measured counterpoint, and the interplay between them is delightful to behold.
At times, the film flits with melodrama, but never without losing it’s emotional ballast. What makes I Know Where I’m Going! so satisfying is its rhythm. The film moves with grace, letting moments breathe, allowing romance to emerge naturally from character and circumstance. The setting is key. The rustic surroundings, folky traditions, and gentle eccentricities of the local villagers seep into the film, adding texture and warmth. A standout Ceilidh sequence draws us deep into Scottish love and lore, while moments of droll, playful humor including the use of three pipers delayed en route to the wedding, ground the romance in lived-in charm.
Powell and Pressburger founded a production company in 1939, The Archers, and I Know Where I’m Going! was part of a remarkable run for the outfit, alongside notables such as The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus, and The Red Shoes. The film exemplifies Powell and Pressburger’s beguiling ability to blend romance, realism, and myth. It’s easy to be enamored with a film like this that manages to be ever so playful yet remain profound.
The Package
Criterion presents a 4K restoration conducted by the BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation and supervised by filmmaker Martin Scorsese and editor Thelma Schoonmaker Powell, who has long worked to preserve the works of her late husband. The new transfer showcases the discerning depth and texture conjured by cinematographer Erwin Hillier. Image quality shows impressive detail, and a consistent high quality throughout. Blacks remain deep without revealing any artifacts or issues, the contrast plays well into the overall range of image. Filmic grain is present and consistent. Overall its a rather lovely presentation. Extra features include:
- One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Audio commentary featuring film historian Ian Christie: A solid commentary, one that nicely discusses the film within the wider context of the Powell/Pressburger collaborations, while also touching on more specific aspects of the production, performers, and more
- Introduction by Scorsese with restoration demonstration featuring commentary by Schoonmaker Powell: A technical and personal contribution to the efforts to preserve the film
- Behind-the-scenes stills narrated by Schoonmaker Powell: An 8 minute piece, but one that nicely covered some of the more tangible aspects of the production
- “I Know Where I’m Going!” Revisited, a 1994 documentary by Mark Cousins: Running just over 30 minutes, this compiles interviews with an array of filmmakers to discuss the film and its legacy
- Photo-essay by writer Nancy Franklin exploring the locations used in the film: A 10 minute sojurn through the various locations used in the film with an accompanying narration
- Home movies from one of director Michael Powell’s Scottish expeditions, narrated by Schoonmaker Powell: A hike around Scotland!
- PLUS: An essay by critic Imogen Sara Smith: Within the liner notes, that also detail films new restoration
- New cover by Thinh Dinh
The Bottom Line
I Know Where I’m Going! is about learning when to let go, about trusting heart over head, and letting it carry our course. It’s not always in the mix when Powell/Pressburger collaborations are discussed, but I know Where I’m Going! stands as an assured entry thanks to its stirring whimsy and delightful take on the fateful romance. Criterion’s 4K shows a loving restoration, and a smattering of extras that add feel personally curated for the film and the creative duo behind it.
I Know Where I’m Going is available on 4K-UHD via Criterion now
