Rating: 
Summary: An excellent DVD special edition
Review: Many of the Criterion Collection's releases of classic films have been skimpy with the supplementary material. For example, IKWIG's companion release, Black Narcissus, has only a trailer, commentary, and a short documentary about the cinematographer. This DVD, on the other hand, is full of material that really enhances the watching of this film. The home movies of Michael Powell in Scotland and the behind the scenes photos, both narrated by his wife (Thelma Schoonmaker, Martin Scorsese's longtime editor), are priceless. Little tidbits about the making of the film are scattered throughout the various supplements, the most shocking being that the cinematographer shot the entire film without the assistance of a light meter. I'd buy a DVD of any Powell and Pressburger film, but this is one disc that stands with some of the best special edition DVDs on the market.
Rating:
Summary: A great film and a remarkable locale
Review: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were Great Britain's supreme exoticists. What is remarkable is that their exoticism was not relegated to those parts of the globe usually associated with the remoteness and alien. BLACK NARCISSUS was, in this way, the exception rather than the norm. More often, they managed to find exoticism far closer to home, such as in the magic of THE RED SHOES, the unexpected intersection of heaven and earth in A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, or even in the life of a relatively average Englishman in THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP. Thus, it is not at all surprising that Powell (who had a lifelong love of the Scottish Isles) and Pressburger managed to find a remarkably exotic locale within the British Isles, specifically in the Scottish Isles, primarily on the Isle of Mull, in the film I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING (1945). Although they had already achieved considerable success in other films, this film kicks off the greatest creative period of their partnership, after this one making such masterpieces as A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (1946), BLACK NARCISSUS (1947), and THE RED SHOES (1948).
I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING really isn't like any other film one can see. The setting is incredibly unique. Watching the film, it is a bit unnerving to realize there is such an unknown and relatively unvisited area so exceedingly near the rest of Europe. The landscape shots are extraordinarily beautiful and capture a wild and untamed region, despite the human habitation. Much of the joy of the film lies in living cinematically for an hour or two in a place that seems almost magical it is so unique. And indeed, there is magic, even if it is only the kind that movies provide. The irony of the title lies in the fact that our heroine, Wendy Hiller, believes she knows where she is going, but the islands and the sea prove themselves to be forces of nature to be respected: they will not always humble themselves to human planning.
The film is driven not merely by a great locale and first rate direction, but a marvelous cast. There are simply not enough films featuring either Roger Livesey or the young Wendy Hiller (she did, thankfully, make far more films later in life, so stage actors often do, film being less stressful on the body than acting on stage-witness actors like Laurence Olivier and Ian McKellan, who turned more and more to film after the age of sixty). Livesey is always a delight, with his soft yet rough voice, and his rabbit-toothed grin. Wendy Hiller did shockingly little film work early in her acting career, but what she did was superb. She enjoyed great success in two film adaptations of George Bernard Shaw, PYGMALION and MAJOR BARBARA, before this film, and she did nothing else until after turning forty (at which point her film career mushroomed). Pamela Brown, who enjoyed a long relationship with Michael Powell and whose career was hampered by near-crippling arthritis, is memorable as Catriona. Much of the rest of the cast consists of locals, though an amazingly young Petula Clark does appear in one scene.
The great irony of a film set in the Scottish Isles is, as is famously known, star Roger Livesey was appearing in a play in London, and was unable to do any location shots. All of his scenes that required dialog were shot in London, and for all his outdoor scenes in Scotland, a double who looked like Livesey from behind was used instead. If one hasn't seen the movie, this sounds bizarre, but it actually works exceptionally well. It actually provides the prescient viewer with a fun game, spotting the shots on the quay, for instance, that were shot partly in London and partly in Scotland.
This is a very special film. It is on the list of my one hundred favorite films, and I think it will be for many others as well. The DVD contains a host of wonderful features, as in any Criterion production. Indeed, DVDs don't come much better than this.
Rating:
Summary: Romance in the Hebredes
Review: Superb romance, with Roger Livsey an incredible sex object, "Nut brown maiden, you're the one for me" is still the highhest-voltages line in modern film. Also, Pamela Brown, as he wild and free hieland lassie.
Rating:
Summary: "Harry and Sally" in Scotland
Review: The first ten minutes are very dated, but keep watching, the romance is as inevitable and gratifying as the cavalry showing up in an old western. Wendy Hiller is as beautiful as she was in Pygmalian and Livesy gives the performance of a lifetime. The DVD extras are excellent. Scotland is ravishingly beautiful. A couples movie if ever there were one.
Rating:
Summary: "Harry and Sally" in Scotland
Review: The first ten minutes are very dated, but keep watching, the romance is as inevitable and gratifying as the cavalry showing up in an old western. Wendy Hiller is as beautiful as she was in Pygmalian and Livesy gives the performance of a lifetime. The DVD extras are excellent. Scotland is ravishingly beautiful. A couples movie if ever there were one.
Rating: 
Summary: And I Know Where I've Been
Review: The simplicity of this film is its majesty, including the strong performances, and stunning scenery. This film has it all, including a cataclysmic storm scene, and a badly placed phone box. Its a well-made, light romantic comedy, with only a little fuzzy-headedness to mar it in the end. I'm very glad that my public library had a copy on VHS.
Rating:
Summary: The Inspiration for "Local Hero"
Review: This film is said to have inspired Bill Forsythe in the making of "Local Hero". A totally charming film, with enough dry wit and tongue-in-cheek whimsy to keep the romance solidly anchored. Truthful, consistent characterization from the Powell/ Pressburger stable of actors. And yes, that is a VERY young Petulia Clark in the role of Cheryl, the overly precocious bookworm.
Rating:
Summary: Classic old-time romance
Review: This is a classic big-screen romance, and Livesay and Hiller are the perfect leading man and woman to bring it to the silver screen. This was the first movie I'd seen with Livesay in it, and I followed it up with the redoubtable Colonel Blimp.But back to this movie, the story takes place against the backdrop of a wind-swept coastal village and the western isles of Scotland, and much of the movie's charm comes from the wonderfully realized local setting and townspeople, who really add more than a touch of local color. The chemistry between Livesay and Hiller couldn't be better, and they are both terrific in their roles. Overall a fine movie with a great cast, great performances, and a wonderful story of old-time romance. They don't make 'em like this anymore.
Rating:
Summary: Gentle British Humor
Review: This is a gentle comedy, told with understated British humor. It is black and white photography at its very best. While to younger audiences the plot may appear contrived, it's actually the quite believable story of a woman with a strong determination to marry for money, even to the point of placing herself in danger because of a stubborn streak. The gentle, wry, and equally stubborn Scots who persistently impede her progress for her own good are scene stealers, every one. The legend of a cursed castle adds a touch of other-worldly mist brushing against daily lives. This is, quite simply, a lovely and sweet movie. Sit back and enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: I Know what I liked
Review: This is a great movie. The Scots are portrayed as with the proper blend of charm, wit, eccentricities, and wisdom. The message is timeless. The film still works today. Easily in the top 5 all-time for my wife and me.
|
