I had wanted to see this film for many years; ever since hearing Martin Scorsese say words to the effect that he'd thought he'd seen every great film in existence, until he saw Powell and Pressburger's "I Know Where I'm Going" (1945). A classic of English cinema and a longtime critics' darling, this tale of an English lass who is trapped on the isle of Mull by bad weather whilst en route to be married on another Hebrides isle certainly does have much to offer, but still, I had a major problem with it; namely, the superthick Scotch burrs being sported by most of the characters. To these NYC ears, much of the dialogue in "IKWIG" was extremely hard to decipher, although I was able to acclimate a bit as the film wore on. But when the characters would lapse into the pure Gaelic on occasion...fuggedaboudit! As mentioned, though, there IS much to enjoy here. The b&w photography is extremely beautiful (and nicely captured on this crisp Criterion DVD); Wendy Hiller and Roger Livesey make charming leads; there is much Scotch mysticism in the film (not to mention Scotch mist); and we are also treated to one thrilling action sequence, as Hiller and Livesey attempt an escape from the island in the midst of a raging gale and come close to having their small craft wrecked in a whirlpool. For me, this is a film that will most likely improve with repeated viewings. And next time, I'll have looked up the word "ceilidh" before watching this offbeat charmer.
Review of I Know Where I'm Going!
