Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
i'm a powell & pressburger fan now, 24 Mar 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: I Know Where I'm Going [VHS] [1945] (VHS Tape)
I agreed to watch this movie because I didn't want to disappoint someone I liked. I wasn't looking forward to it either. How more boring could you get than having to watch a black and white movie of all things made in the 1940s for goodness sake with a bunch of old actors who couldnt possibly be believable let alone romantic. But stone the crows!!!! the moment Joan arrived on the island and I heard the Gaelic language spoken, as well as the eerie cry of the seals and the first meeting between Joan, Torquil and islanders, I started to drift into the mystical, magical mist of the island. The movie is funny (eg shouting match between Torquil and Joan on stairs, the colonel and his 'camp' gear and obsession with eagle). The island landscape, and scenes of the elements WoW!!! (whirlpool scenes, were awsome and gives a fantastic thrill). Its so, so romantic, and I don't just mean Joan and Torquils romance (but how cool can a guy get when he tells you, without telling you directly, that your the one for him, by making his English translation of a Gaelic song the way of getting his feelings across).You end up falling in love with the people and place. It felt like a fairy tale, yet everyone were your every day people, trying to keep body and soul together,except the wierd, over the top colonel. Its a real down to earth place but it includes belief in 'things'dismissed by óutsiders'as superstition or simply not true. These two elements combined to create the magic for me. I didn't want the movie to end. I aint ever going to speak ill of black and white movies and óld actors again after seeing this movie.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nostalic, enchanting, beautiful, 17 Oct 2005
By A Customer
I love this little gem of a film. It's a romance about a spirited and somewhat annoying and stubborn young woman (Wendy Hiller), who becomes engaged to a wealthy older man, simply because it is materially advantageous for her to do so. She travels to the Western Isles of Scotland, hoping to meet up with her fiancé, but when the bad weather keeps her stranded, she encounters the local laird (played by the wonderful Roger Livesey), and her plans, as well as her feelings begin to go awry. The story will at first, seem rather quaint and old fashioned to the modern viewer, as will the character's mannerisms and speech, but the film captures a wonderful mythic, fairytale atmosphere, which is both nostalgic and enchanting. It's also a metaphorical love story, a scathing critique of materialism, just as relevant to us today as it was back in the 1940s. Much of the film is shot on location, using local people as extras - though, incredibly the scenes with Livesey were all done in the studio. Powell's sensitive feel for myth and landscape yields some extraordinarily haunting and beautiful scenes, and the dream sequence is ingenious and delightful - it's a technical masterpiece, admired by all the great directors of today, including Scorcese. A film that will appeal to aspiring movie-makers and those who still have romance in their souls!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Be sure to obtain the Criterion version., 29 April 2006
"I know where I'm going, I know who's going with me," A young lady (Windy Hiller) pretty much knows what she wants in life. On her way to her wedding on a remote Scottish island she is delayed long enough to experience a different way of life and a reality that she was never exposed to. Here she finds different values and the difference between real nobility and the early version of plastic money. She is overwhelmed by her new discovery and the man (Roger Livesey) who introduced her to it. Now she must desperately escape or be lost forever in this different world. I was surprised to find that a young girl in the movie was Petula Clark. There are advantages to having a movie with a story that is not based on a book. You can enjoy the story for what it is and not have to compare. However this may make a good play. In the Criterion extras you will find speculation on the pro's and con's of remaking the movie. This film is impressive on its own but the Criterion treatment adds many fascinating dimensions that make you have to re-watch the film just to se the parts that you missed while paying attention though the plotline and scenery. There is a commentary track that covers the entire film. A behind the scenes stills that even has a commentary. Home movies add to the information about the designers of the story and producers. There is a section from "The edge of the World." A great insight and a different way off looking at the story are found in "I Know Where I'm Going! Revisited" a 30 minute making of. The location photo essay allows you to see if the color is what you imagined (maybe better).
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|