Powerful

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Joan Webster is an ambitious and stubborn middle-class English woman determined to move forward since her childhood. She meets her father in a fancy restaurant to tell him that she will marry the wealthy middle-aged industrial Robert Bellinger in Kiloran island, in the Hebrides Islands, Scotland.Martin Scorsese has said, "I reached the point of thinking there were no more masterpieces to discover, until I saw I Know Where I'm Going!" Now, with all due respect to Scorsese, I would not call this a masterpiece. But it is definitely a solid entry in Michael Powell's filmography. The story is very moving.What was interesting is that I watched this as a double feature with "Edge of the World", completely by accident. But they go together perfectly, both focused on the seaside world of the Outer Hebrides. While the plots do not necessarily go together, the atmosphere does, and that makes it perfect.

I don't think I was even familiar with Powell and Pressburger until a couple of years ago. But, due to the IMDb Classic Film Board, this will make the 8th of their movies that I've seen, and they still surprise and delight me! Powell and Pressburger co-wrote, produced, and directed this romantic comedy. Michael Powell used a setting, the Scottish Hebrides, much like the one that he had fallen in love with while making The Edge of the World (1937).This movie, like, Vincente Minnelli's 1954 musical, Brigadoon, contrasts the modern city life to the more mystic and mythical Scottish traditional life. When a city person--like Gene Kelly in Brigadoon or Wendy Hiller in I Know Where I'm Gong!--travels to a "simpler" place, they not only unexpectedly find love but also find another type of rooting beyond their city values.The enjoyable part is watching them in the progress of their discovery. One of the biggest jokes of this movie is it's title: Wendy Hiller may THINK she knows where she is going but really has no idea. Joan Webster (Wendy Hiller) is an English working-class social climber, bent on marrying a rich chemical magnate who lives on a Scottish island in the Hebrides. However, when she goes to there to marry him, she gets "stuck," due to the unpredictable weather, between the island that she can see—almost touch—and the mainland inhabited by Scottish folk.While waiting to get to the island, Joan is introduced to the locals' song, dance, myth, humor, and tradition as well as the penniless laird named Torquil (Roger Livesey). This 'getting stuck between two places' acts as a metaphor for a crossroads where she must decide what is right for her life. This movie is another Archer masterpiece.

I'm not a fan of most British film making, although modern British films are quite good. But back in the 1930s until at least the 1960s...well, it's a rare British film I'm impressed with. This is one of those rare British films.I watched it primarily because I wanted to see Wendy Hiller. I'm always impressed with her, although I've only seen her in films when she was much older (such as "Toys In The Attic"). She was a gem...and that is certainly true here. Being that I usually don't watch British films, I was not familiar with Roger Livesey, the male romantic lead. To Americans I guess he seems like an odd romantic lead, but I rather liked him once I adjusted my thinking. The other performances are (sometimes) a bit odd, but interesting. And I was particularly interested in seeing Finlay Currie as the old man. I found his fascinating as a follower of Christ in "Ben-Hur", and as Cary Grant's odd friend in "People Will Talk". Of course, as a Scotsman, he was probably more at home here in this movie filmed mostly in Scotland! Along with an interesting cast, I was also impressed with the dramatic scenery and vivid black and white photography...although there were a few places where the photography seemed a tad amateurish (such as one scene where vignetting is clearly evident). Both in terms of the natural photography, and in terms of the culture, this film probably gives one a better sense of what Scotland is really like...or at least was really like. Stunning and interesting. The whirlpool in the boat segment...a bit amateurish compared to today's special effects, but quite impressive for 1945. And by the way, that whirlpool really does exist in Scotland to this day.The story is not particularly unique -- girl on her way to marry a rich man living in Scotland meets a poor man and falls in love. Will she follow love or money? While the plot may be rather traditional, the characters and settings and some of the situations are unique, and that makes the film very interesting.Is it a great film? Well, in my mind it's an extraordinarily good film. But Martin Scorsese once wrote that, "I reached the point of thinking there were no more masterpieces to discover, until I saw I Know Where I'm Going!" Highly recommended, especially for the performance by Wendy Hiller, who -- in a review here on IMDb for another of her films -- one of our reviewers wrote, "she can do no wrong!" I second that opinion.

Taking a side trip to the outer limits of the United Kingdom island, the Archers production team (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger) provides a wonderfully sweet and gentle story that takes place in a most remote area with very personable and identifiable people who are just the antidote for a sophisticated, headstrong and forthright woman headed to a local island to marry a rich businessman.This is a story arc that today is as clichéd as possible, but despite its rapid aging, Powell and Pressburger's film remains timeless today mostly because of how much else they include in the story. There is wonderful black and white cinematography with gorgeous landscapes shimmering in the pristine photography. The acting is very fine with Wendy Hiller providing many instances requiring her own comeuppance and Roger Livesy being the excellent foil for such a character. These two have very good chemistry together and allow us to enjoy not just their performances but also the rest of the film as they provide for a relaxed atmosphere.Overall, this is not one of the very best Powell and Pressburger products, but it does provide for some nice moments and a tender love story with passions and emotions punctuated by the roaring sea and rocky coastline. A solid, splendid British film.