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I Know Where I'm Going!

  • 1945
  • Approved
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
11K
YOUR RATING
Wendy Hiller and Roger Livesey in I Know Where I'm Going! (1945)
DramaRomance

A young Englishwoman goes to the Hebrides to marry her older, wealthier fiancé. When the weather keeps them separated on different islands, she begins to have second thoughts.A young Englishwoman goes to the Hebrides to marry her older, wealthier fiancé. When the weather keeps them separated on different islands, she begins to have second thoughts.A young Englishwoman goes to the Hebrides to marry her older, wealthier fiancé. When the weather keeps them separated on different islands, she begins to have second thoughts.

  • Directors
    • Michael Powell
    • Emeric Pressburger
  • Writers
    • Michael Powell
    • Emeric Pressburger
  • Stars
    • Wendy Hiller
    • Roger Livesey
    • Pamela Brown
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    11K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Michael Powell
      • Emeric Pressburger
    • Writers
      • Michael Powell
      • Emeric Pressburger
    • Stars
      • Wendy Hiller
      • Roger Livesey
      • Pamela Brown
    • 135User reviews
    • 45Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos76

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    Top cast37

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    Wendy Hiller
    Wendy Hiller
    • Joan Webster
    Roger Livesey
    Roger Livesey
    • Torquil MacNeil
    Pamela Brown
    Pamela Brown
    • Catriona Potts
    Finlay Currie
    Finlay Currie
    • Ruairidh Mhór
    Duncan MacKechnie
    • Capt. 'Lochinvar'
    • (as Captain Duncan MacKechnie)
    George Carney
    George Carney
    • Mr. Webster
    Nancy Price
    Nancy Price
    • Mrs. Rebecca Crozier
    Catherine Lacey
    Catherine Lacey
    • Mrs. Robinson
    Jean Cadell
    Jean Cadell
    • Postmistress
    John Laurie
    John Laurie
    • John Campbell
    Valentine Dyall
    Valentine Dyall
    • Mr. Robinson
    C.W.R. Knight
    C.W.R. Knight
    • Col. Barnstaple
    • (as Captain C.W.R. Knight F.Z.S.)
    Norman Shelley
    Norman Shelley
    • Sir Robert Bellinger
    • (voice)
    Margot Fitzsimons
    Margot Fitzsimons
    • Bridie
    Murdo Morrison
    • Kenny
    Walter Hudd
    Walter Hudd
    • Hunter
    Ian Sadler
    • Iain MacGillivray
    Anthony Eustrel
    Anthony Eustrel
    • Hooper
    • (as Antony Eustrel)
    • Directors
      • Michael Powell
      • Emeric Pressburger
    • Writers
      • Michael Powell
      • Emeric Pressburger
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews135

    7.410.8K
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    Featured reviews

    anasu

    My favorite film

    If I could take only one movie with me to a desert island, this would be it. Wendy Hiller and Roger Livesey are so vibrant and every scene is a joy to watch.

    Part of the chemistry is that Hiller is assertive and on top of everything and Livesey is more vulnerable and searching -- she resists him and he reaches out to her -- I think of Virginia Woolf's line about how the sexiest thing is if a woman is "man-womanly" and a man is "woman-manly."

    My favorite moment comes early on, when Hiller says, about the eccentric colonel, "He's an odd one, isn't he," and Livesey responds, "Who isn't." There's so much feeling and humanity in how he says this -- so much depth -- I fall in love with his character and this movie every time.
    8ackstasis

    A joyous and lively Scottish romance

    The collaborations between Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger represent one of the most respected partnerships in cinema history, the two directors long revered for crafting some of the most enduring pictures ever to come out of the United Kingdom. Pressburger once said of his colleague: "He knows what I am going to say even before I say it — maybe even before I have thought it — and that is very rare. You are lucky if you meet someone like that once in your life." Though I had previously seen and loved 'Peeping Tom (1960)' {Powell's solo effort, a shocking and daring horror/thriller that arguably brought down his career}, I remained keenly interested in seeing my first P&P collaboration, and so I was delighted to find the Criterion Collection DVD of 'I Know Where I'm Going! (1945).' Perhaps it's the extensive on-location photography, or the distinctive local accents, but there's something about this film that sets it apart from Hollywood romances of the era, in the same way that the Ealing Studios comedies of the 1940s and 50s are like nothing ever to come out of the United States.

    The first thing you'll notice about 'I Know Where I'm Going!' is the absolutely exquisite cinematography by Erwin Hillier, who captures the Scottish countryside in glorious, crisp black-and-white, shooting the entire film without a light meter. The pristine landscapes are absolutely breathtaking; you can almost feel the soft breeze blowing against your face, the silent shudder of the trees as a storm rolls overhead. This environment is the perfect stage for the events of the film, as ambitious and independent Englishwoman, Joan Webster (Wendy Hiller) comes to meet an array of lively and free-spirited locals, representing a simpler lifestyle that she could never have imagined falling in love with. 'I Know Where I'm Going!' is also a miracle of clever editing, considering the male co-star, Roger Livesey, never came within 500 miles of the primary shooting location {having an unavoidable stage commitment in London}. Editor John Seabourne was given the monumental task of seamlessly blending close-up shots of Livesey in the studio with middle-distance shots of the actor's double in Scotland; the result is perfectly deceptive.

    Powell and Pressburger, as was typical for their pictures, shared a writing credit for the film, which is a celebration of the "common man", a popular theme of British cinema, I've found, during that time period. Wendy Hiller's heroine, an independent but somewhat conceited woman, is hampered in her attempts to join her older, wealthier fiancé, Sir Robert Bellinger, on the island of Kiloran. Instead, she is left with Torquil MacNeil (Roger Livesey), a humble naval officer on leave from the military. Despite initially feeling foreign and uncomfortable in the unfamiliar lodgings of the locals, Joan eventually comes to appreciate their unashamed simplicity, most noticeable in the stark contrast between the upper-class residents' dull, stuffy bridge game, and the servants' lively and musical birthday celebration for one of their oldest residents. Despite her insistence that she "knows where she's going," Joan also discovers that fate might be nudging her in a completely different direction. Why can't she travel to the island to marry Sir Bellinger? The answer to this question might not have anything to do with the weather at all: perhaps, deep down, she knows that she can do a lot better.
    9TheHumbleCritic

    Powell and Pressburger at their finest

    This wonderfully charming film from the Powell and Pressburger team is probably their most underrated great work: the most recent "Sight and Sound Critics Poll" of British films didn't even include this gem in the top 100. If it means anything, "Trainspotting" was in the top 10.

    What elevates the film beyond other light-hearted romances is chiefly the impeccable acting and tight screenplay by Emeric Pressburger, probably the greatest English screenwriter to have ever lived. This might be generic laudation to any film, but by no means is Wendy Hiller's performance generic. As the young gold-digger-type woman, Hiller is slightly bewildered at being sidetracked to the Scottish natives, but she is much more fluxed when she realizes she is falling for a common Scotsman, and not the rich lord she envisioned. So what is the reaction to this bafflement? A fierce sense of panic that is very honest in its depiction of desperation. It might be puzzling to the viewer why our heroine should seek royalty so vehemently, but because of Hiller's expert frenzied facial tics, we see her slowly realize her ridiculousness herself. In an age where critics desire constant plausibility and "believability" in romances, Pressburger reminds us that attraction is something that can largely be out of our control. Hiller's character, an obsessive control freak, is the perfect example of one who cannot comprehend this fact.

    The perfect foil for Hiller's hysteria, of course, is Rover Livesey's soft-spoken Torquil Macneil. Before Ashton Kucher-like effete twigs came to dominate on-screen masculinity (or Vin Diesel-like muscle-studded goons on the other extreme), the quiet dignity and charisma of a man like Livesey could light up a screen without any histrionics or wrestling moves. Those still looking for romantic realism will recognize that like Hiller's character, Livesey is just as strong-willed, and more importantly, is a match in wits and a counterbalance in earnest, world-weary personality. Their mutual attraction is perfectly played out in the strangely electric silences as much as the dialogue.

    But the performances enhance what is already a remarkable script. The very basic premise of the love story can be read by many other astute reviewers on this website who also see the merits of this film. Powell and Pressburger have always been smart enough to embed their love stories with some heavy ideas: in "The Red Shoes," it was love vs. art; in "I Know Where I'm Going!" it is love vs. money. Sounds simple enough, but unlike other romances, these filmmakers can glean insights on the definition of poverty. While primitive (the one phone in town is at the post office) and poor (the staff in charge there can't break change for a pound), the villagers are portrayed affectionately with class, dignity, and culture, especially in a wonderful dance scene that seems to affectionately embody both a small community's close familiarity with one another, as well as the drunken festival spirit. Like Livesey's character says at one point in the film, "They aren't poor, they just haven't got any money." It's a succinct but revealing statement about the human condition in a time where money did not necessarily determine one's social class because of many other admirable factors. Contrast this cultural milieu with a film like "8 Mile," in which the characters are "real" if they are from the "streets" or living with trailer trash parents, and "phony" if they have an education from a private school, and you can see how our self-important attitudes are progressing.

    Lastly, I must mention that this is one of the most exquisitely photographed black and white films I have ever seen, and the Criterion remastering does the film ample justice. I have been harping on the merits of the high-mindedness of Pressburger, but the appropriate plaudits must be dealt for Powell's emotionally expressive vistas that equal his achievements in "The Edge of the World." From the craggy peaks of the highest cliffs or the frothy waves of every bank, the film's mystic sense of ambiance is drawn by a foggy mist that pervades most scenes. For once, grand scenery doesn't dwarf the characters; every picturesque shot either captures the characters in the beauty of the element, or is intended as a complement to the characters' emotions. It's a great film.
    dougdoepke

    Worth a Closer Look

    Rarely does a 60 year-old b&w unheralded movie get the number of raves from the grassroots this one does. And it's deserved. The Powell-Pressburger film is more than a cult favorite. The producer-director-writers have raised a rather unexceptional premise to artistic levels, through superior acting, location, screenplay, and cinematography. If there's a questionable side, it may be the abrupt shift in technique once Joan (Hiller) reaches the island. Her journey from the city is rapid and occasionally cartoonish in contrast to the slowly paced naturalism of the island. Perhaps, the shift intends to contrast competing life styles.

    Speaking of photographic values, in my book, the visuals are a clear object lesson in the power of b&w to capture moods beyond the reach of color photography. Consider the stark poetry of those spectral images projected against the rugged island coastline. These are dream-like textures that the literalism of color simply cannot reproduce. Moreover, the power of these images to call forth a shadow world beneath the sweeping natural vistas remains a memorably artistic feature. Done in color, the film would have lacked that distinctive extra dimension.

    It's hard too, to say enough about how casually and effectively local color is blended into the narrative. From the folksy bus ride where we learn a lot about the two romantic rivals, to the monolithic castles of a distant past still stubbornly present, to an untamed countryside where eagles still roam and pillage, the settings remain indelibly unique. But most of all, there's the community dance. It's like a boisterous celebration of life and the common folk where past and present meet in joyous abandon. And it's to those compelling bonds of community and good feeling, of which Thorquil (Livesey) is a part, that Joan is drawn despite her mercenary ambitions. Thus, the two islands become not just two spots on the map, but two poles of competing values, magnetic attractions between which the city girl is torn. All in all, the movie's screenplay underscores an intensely human theme.

    I agree with those reviewers who have trouble with Hiller's bewitching allure. She's one heck of a capable actress. Still, she reminds me of a British Katherine Hepburn with the same sort of sharp edges. The question here is not whether she's attractive or not. She is. Rather the problem is whether she has the kind of allure that would immediately enchant a confirmed bachelor like Thorquil as apparently happens in the movie. Seems a stretch to me, unless the unassuming Thorquil's dislike for the upstart rich man Bellinger is factored in. Then we might consider Thorquil's initial courting as a way of proving his superiority to the obnoxious newcomer. The irony, of course, is that as he comes to experience Joan's sterling potential, he falls genuinely for her, and in the process helps overcome not only her limitations (false values), but his own (the family "curse").

    Something should also be said of Pamela Brown's exotic Catriona. In a crafty and purposeful screenplay, she remains something of a wild card, always alone with her hounds and in the end unresolved. She clearly has designs on Thorquil and thus should resent his interest in Joan. But she demonstrates a noble nature by taking Joan under wing when Joan is in need. Thus she comes to represent the noble and untamed dimension of a land still uncorrupted by mercenary values. It's therefore well and good that she remains unattached, an enigmatic personality that defies the usual movie resolution.

    The well-timed choral accompaniment is another flavorful touch. It lends a splendidly lyrical quality to what we would probably now call the simple life. And it's to that lyrical call that Joan is being drawn in spite of her headstrong nature. In fact it's a neat touch of irony how the story itself comes to contradict the confidently resolute title. Then, of course, there's the movie's dramatic centerpiece, the whirlpool that looks so real, it probably is, and the only one I've seen in a film. No doubt the effect now would be digitally done and likely overdone. Still, the real thing remains an unusual feature of an unusual movie.

    It seems many professional critics downgraded the film because of its soap-sudsy plot. Nonetheless, in my book, the film amounts to a masterpiece, and a masterpiece of slyly wrought design. For like Joan, we're gradually drawn into the charmed circle of the island and people, but it's done in a cleverly understated way, rather like Livesey's low-key courting of the city girl. In fact, Livesey's performance is itself a masterpiece of slyly conveyed purpose. So, if you're like me, the film's cumulative impact sort of creeps up, until the end when I was rather surprised to note that, yes, I had just seen something really special.
    nk_gillen

    Love in the Highlands

    The title "I Know Where I'm Going" refers to a declaration made by the film's heroine, a middle-class English girl (acted by Wendy Hiller) who's determined to get to the top of the social rung by any means legal. She has just become engaged to Sir Robert Bellinger, one of the country's richest industrialists. She knows where she's going all right: To the Scottish isle of Killoran, where her future as Lady Bellinger is to be confirmed in matrimony.

    Yet Killoran may as well be the planet Mars. No matter how hard she tries, she just can't get there. At first, it's only the foggy weather that prevents her from ferrying across to Gretna Green. Then the fog is cleared away by gale-force winds. Later though, it's as if the atmosphere itself, something in the old castle legends and superstitions that conspire to keep her away from everything she's wanted. Yet she is stubborn, even bribing a boy to pilot a small boat to Killoran in the midst of a huge squall - a move that proves nearly fatal. She's determined to get "where she is going," but she's turned away once again -- by the elements as well as the realization that she has become emotionally attached to a young naval officer on leave (Roger Livesey).

    This is a tightly written and performed effort. There isn't a single wasted motion. The images are memorable too. Pamela Brown, plays the poor huntress Catriona, silhouetted against the gray Northern sky with a shotgun in one hand, the other hand tethered to a leash restraining her dogs as they make their way up a brae; Finley Curray's weather-beaten face in close-up says more about his salty character than his sage dialogue; and there's an amusing cameo by a pre-teen Petula Clark, reading Edmund Spenser at the breakfast table. Just the sort of ironic juxtaposition one might expect from this movie's masterful director, Michael Powell.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      In 1947, Emeric Pressburger met the head of the script department at Paramount, who told him that the studio used this film as an example of the perfect screenplay, and was shown to writers stuck for inspiration or who needed a lesson in screenwriting.
    • Goofs
      In the opening credits, as the factory gate swings shut the top bar on it is partially obscured by the hanging miniature that adds another floor to the factory - which is really the front offices of Denham Studios.
    • Quotes

      Torquil MacNeil: She wouldn't see a pound note from one pensions day to another.

      Joan Webster: People around here are very poor I suppose.

      Torquil MacNeil: Not poor, they just haven't got money.

      Joan Webster: It's the same thing.

      Torquil MacNeil: Oh no, it's something quite different.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening cast credits appear on the end of a baby's cot; all other credits are chalked on a children's blackboard, appear on the side and rear of a horse drawn milk van and on a board attached to a metal factory gate.
    • Alternate versions
      When Bridie and Joan are arguing in Joan's bedroom when Joan is about to try to get to the island, Bridie has a little speech where she says "Some folks there are, who want to drown fine young men and break young girls' hearts so that they can be bedded one day sooner." Risqué stuff for 1945. It was dubbed in the initial American release for her to say "wedded" instead of "bedded".
    • Connections
      Featured in Arena: A Pretty British Affair (1981)
    • Soundtracks
      I Know Where I'm Going
      (uncredited)

      Traditional County Antrim song

      Sung by Boyd Steven with The Glasgow Orpheus Choir

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • September 27, 1946 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • Gaelic
    • Also known as
      • IKWIG
    • Filming locations
      • Gulf of Corryvreckan, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK(whirlpool)
    • Production company
      • The Archers
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • £200,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $89,527
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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