I Know Where I'm Going! 4K 1945 Ultra HD 2160p

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. She travels from Manchester to the island of Mull, where she stays trapped due to the windy weather. Whilst on the island, she meets Torquil McNeil and as the days go by they fall in love with each other.

User Review

Who would have thought that the prim and proper old lady that is Great Britain, which gave the world one of the most serious and truthful films about human relationships (we are, of course, talking about Linov's “A Short Encounter”), would have in its archives, under a thick layer of dust and in complete obscurity (which, however, only makes it more appealing to true connoisseurs), such a light-hearted, life-affirming, and poetic picture as I Know Where I'm Going. Filmed in the spirit of its overseas counterparts, it nevertheless boasts a rugged island character and a colorful setting (the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland) with traditional group dances (ceilings), the Gaelic language, and the obligatory kilts and bagpipes. Responsible for some of the most beautiful films in history (come on, who here hasn't seen A Matter of Life and Death and The Red Shoes?), Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger not only managed to create a film worthy of the pen of recognized masters of the genre, without losing any of their originality, but also, among other things, to demonstrate their extraordinary dramatic abilities by acting as screenwriters, unlike most of their American colleagues, who relied on the perfection of famous Broadway productions.

The fascinating story told by the duo of directors (and screenwriters!) is about a young, self-confident Englishwoman who has come unusually close to her cherished dream of marrying a rich, albeit unloved, gentleman of advanced age — and forced to undergo a final test in the form of an untimely sincere feeling, fully corresponds to the average viewer's misconception about supposedly unbearable Hollywood melodramas about great love with their inevitable happy endings and excessive sentimentality. But don't let ignorant insinuations deprive you of the opportunity to see for yourself the validity of works of this kind, which, in skilled hands, are transformed from formulaic dross for the undiscerning masses into an exquisite delicacy that even a familiar admirer of Blok would not be ashamed to serve.

It is difficult to imagine a person with even the slightest artistic taste who would ignore the extraordinary inspiration and obvious love of the authors for their characters, which can be felt in literally every frame, refuting any notion of the film's opportunism and the creators' desire to make a quick buck off bored housewives. However, despite all its sophistication and appeal to a diverse audience, the film is, of course, full of romance and light sadness, and it is a pity that young ladies who have worn out their copies of Pretty Woman have practically no chance of encountering it, because their pathological fear of encountering the ocean of world cinema without their beloved but long-defunct compass—the television program—kills this opportunity in the bud.

Respected in their homeland but little known outside it, the actors only enhance the positive impression of the film—the duo of the main performers looks unusually fresh and organic, and the somewhat excessive immersion in the characters, unusual for films of this genre, was a real revelation for yours truly. Roger Livesey, for example, is incredibly charming—leaving the turbulent emotions to his partner, the actor appears as a cool-headed and judicious (for the time being) middle-aged man, not lacking in intelligent humor and able to keep his head in extreme situations. Masterfully manipulating women's ideas about the ideal life partner, Liversee, with a skeptical smirk characteristic of his character, makes it clear that a skirt is no obstacle to a real man. The female half of the duo, played by the talented Wendy Hiller, on the contrary, is flighty, spoiled, and overly self-confident. However, the actress is skilled enough to convince the viewer that the image of a capricious city girl is nothing more than a mask worn by her character in order to fit her future status as the wife of a successful industrialist.

Be that as it may, the wedding still has to happen, and they have to get to the piece of land surrounded by miles of unfriendly water where it will take place. And, you can be sure that a few days spent at the whim of the changeable British weather at a transit point on her route in the company of a handsome stranger will make a noticeable difference to the life plans of a girl who has known where she is going since birth. Rhyming the raging elements with the heroine's turbulent feelings, which culminate in the climactic episode of the attempt to reach the island in a terrible storm, the authors wisely precede this scene with a delightfully lively, emotionally charged quarrel between the characters, revealing the full acting range of Wendy Hiller and giving some viewers a reason to click their tongues and thoughtfully utter into the void: “What are the follies of nature compared to the storms of human passions?”

And as an epilogue, I would like to thank the authors for including two amazingly beautiful stories in the film - a legend and a curse. Told by the character Livsey, they became an integral part of the action unfolding on screen. I don't know if this is the fruit of the directors' unbridled imagination or the result of meticulous study of local folklore, but when properly adapted for the screen, they are capable of moving the audience no less than “Titanic.” And how skillfully they are woven into the fabric of the film. Thus, the tragic story of the terrible consequences of betraying true feelings, interrupted in the middle, is completed by the hero Livsi at the peak moment when the poor girl's cup of doubts is filled to the brim, as is the dilapidated little boat on which she dared to challenge Poseidon's domain.

Info Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265 (84.0 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1

Info Audio

#English: FLAC 1.0
#English: Dolby Digital 1.0 (Commentary by film historian Ian Christie)

Info Subtitles