I Know Where I'm Going!

I know what I'm watching! Not this. BBBBBBBBBUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNN

A story as familiar as any, told a thousand times from It Happened One Night to Titanic. Conventional plot aside, not a bad little movie. Very nicely photographed, and I enjoyed the Scottish culture.

Beautiful film, cheesy ending.

The best realization of "Magic realism" I have yet encountered. As a Romance film, it's fine, however as a respectful celebration of a marginalized culture, or as a philosophical treatise on spirituality and it's relationship to tradition to the land it's incredible. And of course, the camerawork is amazing, with beautiful chiascuro landscape photography, clever usage of various surrealist camera techniques and a surprisingly suspenseful climax. Definitely one of a kind.

Okay for a Brief Encounter-y stiff-upper-romance, didn't realise it was P&P 'till the end credits.

Nothing extraordinary, at least fundamentally, about this romance. Just that it is written, performed, and filmed with such lively and adventurous spirit, with a splendidly gothic evocation of its Gaelic locale.

The beginning has that old-school British obviousness and superficial wit, but once you're stuck in the Scottish highlands you'll never want to leave. The Archers tell the conventional story magnificently well - and they somehow depict the culture they're in with deep respect, even when some of it is played for laughs.

It feels a bit silly at times and isn't quite up to The Archers' best work, but it's still a very enjoyable romance with some great performances. While not always perfectly executed the underlying theme certainly has a lot of depth, even if it was almost certainly meant as a metaphor for the country in WW2.

Where?

A perfectly serviceable romance set in one of the world's most beautiful places

A young, ambitious woman learns about the difference between money and wealth, and how the latter relates to the singular characteristics of a local territory. An inventively made and fairly charming little romantic comedy that does make good use of its setting and populates it with a set of well-drawn characters.

Nice classic era romance with a tried and true plot told well. The setting is great. The adventure scenes during the storm are not particularly well acted--the green screen looks a bit silly but that was groundbreaking technology at the time, but the issue is really the actors on the boat--they don't look nearly concerned enough. An enjoyable watch but nothing extraordinarily.

It's got an interesting and powerful setting, but I just didn't like the main character and the way they keep waffing about on what to do. I kept wishing the movie would have been centered around a woman like Catriona, who is awesome with her hunting dogs. Liked the setting and the mood, but for the most part, it's quite standard as far as romance movies from this era go.

Not particularly profound, but very well made for a light romance, an authentic peek into Scottish island culture, and a good job from Wendy Hiller. Certainly worthy of Powell and Pressburger.

The first line made me laugh, Wendy Hiller's hot, both her and Roger Livesey are a joy to watch, but otherwise the film is a flash in the pan.

Idiosyncratic, mystical, and strange. No one's gonna mistake the woman's obsession for an unknown businessman for a great plot, but it's already the third time I went back to experience the fresh Scottish air and folklore. Its surreal conservatism is its charm.

Anyone who has seen a handful of movies knows where this is going, but the real joy of this quiet masterpiece is how it gets there. This film basks in the warm glow created by picturesque rural Scotland and the wonderful performances of its cast.

More fanciful than any other English movie of this period I can think of, and it charms utterly. And the Western Isles of Scotland, where much of it was filmed, are almost magical. Good thing, because the story is fairly standard-issue romance, elevated slightly by able leads. The anniversary party scene with singing and piping is wonderful, almost suspended in time.

A simple, slight romance, with a good sense of humour, but Powell and Pressburger are able to pour a life and energy into it, and bring out great charm in the characters. The weather on the Scottish shore is almost a character of its own, at first dangerous, full of mysticism and fury, but as the film proceeds, and Joan keeps praying for it to calm and let her complete her trip, it starts to instead represent her emotional state, guiding her where she truly wants to end up.

Drama of the more mature kind, with a nice piece of countryside atmosphere to draw you in. Can't say I was loving the story. I mean, there was a certain charm to their acquaintance, and the rural communication with the locals helped take away the artificial feel to a typical movie romance. And that's the experience for me when it comes to Michael Powell movies. Their aim is so specific that sometimes it hits you hard, or other times the emotional impact misses your personal preference, in a way.

It's like every one of their movies is a masterclass in how to be profound and relatable at the same time, while not wasting any time or missing opportunitites for a punchline or two.

88.00

Great chiaroscuro cinematography, strong acting and not least an alluring realization of the rugged, windy Highlands, peppered with strange Scots and Celtic myths. That being said, I didn't really connect with the metaphor-clad love story.

Star Rating: ★★★★

Not super-memorable, but nice. Has some very good moments and some bravura directing by Powell and Pressburger.

#432

Very enjoyable even though the underlying message seems twee today.

Severely overrated. This might be the driest "romance" I've ever seen. Except for not screaming or running when he got close to her, I saw nothing in her behavior that indicated interest on her part until the end. The falconer was the only character I enjoyed.

400

Excellent little film--a romance filled with mystery, tradition, and a fair bit of comedy. The directors' light touch with this material brings a winning charm to the proceedings, while the remote Scottish locale never fails to invite interest. Their use of the landscapes, the weather, and the cramped interiors all combine to press in around Joan as she desperately tries to reach her destination, never once paying attention to the wider world--or the wonderful people--around her.

A rare instance of Powell/Pressburger material being cornball and nearly regrettable.

413

Nice piece of old filmmaking, but regrettably not as watchable today as some of the better P&P works.

# 385

Not as good as some other Powell-Pressburger movies but still worth your while