''I Know Where I'm Going!'' is a 1945

romance film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typica ...

by the British-based filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It stars

Wendy Hiller Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller, (15 August 1912 – 14 May 2003) was an English film and stage actress who enjoyed a varied acting career that spanned nearly 60 years. Writer Joel Hirschorn, in his 1984 compilation ''Rating the Movie Stars'', desc ...

and

Roger Livesey Roger Livesey (25 June 1906 – 4 February 1976) was a British stage and film actor. He is most often remembered for the three Powell and Pressburger, Powell & Pressburger films in which he starred: ''The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp'', '' ...

, and features Pamela Brown and

Finlay Currie William Finlay Currie (20 January 1878 – 9 May 1968) was a Scottish actor of stage, screen, and television.McFarlane, Brian (28 February 2014). ''The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition''. Oxford University Press. pp. 175-176; He re ...

Plot

Joan Webster is a 25-year-old middle-class Englishwoman with an ambitious, independent spirit. She knows where she's going, or at least she thinks she does. She travels from her home in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

to the

Hebrides The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebri ...

to marry Sir Robert Bellinger, a wealthy, much older industrialist, on the (fictitious) Isle of Kiloran. When bad weather postpones the final leg of her journey (the boat trip to Kiloran), she is forced to wait it out on the

Isle of Mull The Isle of Mull ( gd, An t-Eilean Muileach ) or just Mull (; gd, Muile, links=no ) is the second-largest island of the Inner Hebrides (after Skye) and lies off the west coast of Scotland in the council area of Argyll and Bute. Covering ...

, among a community of people whose values are quite different from hers. There she meets Torquil MacNeil, a naval officer trying to go home to Kiloran while on

shore leave Shore leave is the leave that professional sailors get to spend on dry land. It is also known as "liberty" within the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and Marine Corps. During the Age of Sail, shore leave was often abused by the ...

. They are sheltered for the night in the nearby home of Torquil's friend, Catriona Potts. The next day, on their way to catch a bus to Tobermory to find a telephone, they come upon the ruins of

Moy Castle Moy Castle is a ruined castle near Lochbuie on the Isle of Mull, Scotland. The site is now a scheduled monument. History The land upon which Moy Castle was built was granted to Hector Reaganach Maclean, 1st Laird of Lochbuie, brother of Lachl ...

. Joan wants to take a look inside, but Torquil refuses to go in. When she reminds him that the terrible curse associated with it only applies to the

laird Laird () is the owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a baron and above a gentleman. This rank was held only by those lairds holding official recognition in ...

of Kiloran, Torquil introduces himself: he ''is'' the laird, and Bellinger has only leased his island. On the bus, the locals recount several disparaging stories about Bellinger. At the coastguard station in Tobermory, Joan is able to contact Bellinger on Kiloran. She and Torquil stay at the Western Isles Hotel in Tobermory. She asks him to eat at separate tables to avert gossip. As the bad weather worsens into a full-scale gale, Torquil spends more time with Joan, who becomes increasingly torn between her ambition and her growing attraction to him. From there, they go to

Achnacroish Achnacroish ( gd, Achadh na Croise) is a hamlet on the Scottish island of Lismore. The harbour serves the ferry between Lismore and Oban. The hamlet has the island's primary school. A heritage centre and a church are within walking distanc ...

, where Joan is surprised to re-encounter Torquil, who feigns not to know her in the presence of others. They attend a ceilidh celebrating a diamond wedding anniversary. The pipers at the ceilidh are there by default as they are also trapped en route to Kiloran and were to play at Joan's wedding. Joan suggests to Catriona that she could sell her property to get money. Catriona says, "money isn't everything". Desperate to salvage her carefully laid plans, Joan tries to persuade Ruairidh Mhór to take her to Kiloran immediately, but he knows conditions are far too dangerous. Joan manages to bribe young Kenny into attempting it by offering him £20: enough money to buy a half-share in Ruairidh's boat and marry Ruairidh's daughter Bridie. Torquil learns of the scheme and tries to talk Joan out of it, but she is adamant. When Catriona tells Torquil that Joan is actually running away from him, he races to the quayside and invites himself aboard. En route, the boat's engine is flooded and they are nearly caught in the Corryvreckan whirlpool, but Torquil is able to restart the motor just in time, and they return safely to Mull. At last the weather clears. Joan asks Torquil for a parting kiss before they go their separate ways. Torquil enters Moy Castle, and the curse takes effect almost immediately. Centuries earlier, Torquil's ancestor had stormed the castle to capture his unfaithful wife and her lover. He had them bound together and cast into a water-filled dungeon with only a small stone to stand on. When their strength gave out, they dragged each other into the water, but not before she placed a curse on the lairds of Kiloran. From the

battlement A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interv ...

s, Torquil sees Joan, accompanied by three bagpipers, marching resolutely toward him. They meet in the castle, and embrace. An inscription describes the curse: if a MacNeil of Kiloran dares step over the threshold of Moy, he shall be chained to a woman to the end of his days, "and will die in his chains". Torquil and Joan walk away together along the lane arm in arm. " I Know Where I'm Going" is sung as the end credits roll.

Cast

as Joan Webster *

as Torquil MacNeil aka Kiloran * Pamela Brown as Catriona Potts *

as Ruairidh Mhór * George Carney as Mr Webster *

Nancy Price Nancy Price, CBE (3 February 1880 – 31 March 1970), was an English actress on stage and screen, author and theatre director. Her acting career began in a repertory theatre company before progressing to the London stage, silent films, talkies a ...

as Mrs Crozier * Catherine Lacey as Mrs Robinson, a chatterbox friend of Bellinger's who is on holiday in the area *

Jean Cadell Jean Dunlop Cadell (13 September 1884 – 29 September 1967) was a Scottish character actress. Although her married name was Jean Dunlop Perceval-Clark she retained her maiden name in the context of acting. Life and career She was born at 4 ...

as the Postmistress *

John Laurie John Paton Laurie (25 March 1897 – 23 June 1980) was a Scottish actor. In the course of his career, Laurie performed on the stage and in films as well as television. He is perhaps best remembered for his role in the sitcom '' Dad's Army'' (19 ...

as John Campbell, son of the couple whose diamond anniversary céilidh Torquil and Joan attend *

Valentine Dyall Valentine Dyall (7 May 1908 – 24 June 1985) was an English character actor. He worked regularly as a voice actor, and was known for many years as "The Man in Black", the narrator of the BBC Radio horror series '' Appointment with Fear'' ...

as Mr. Robinson, a business associate of Bellinger's and Mrs. Robinson's husband *

Norman Shelley Norman Shelley (16 February 1903 – 21 August 1980) was a British actor, best known for his work in radio, in particular for the BBC's ''Children's Hour''. He also had a recurring role as Colonel Danby in the long-running radio soap opera ''T ...

as Sir Robert Bellinger (voice) * Margot Fitzsimons as Bridie * Murdo Morrison as Kenny * Captain C.W.R. Knight as Colonel Barnstaple, falconer and friend of Torquil and Catriona * Walter Hudd as Hunter, one of Bellinger's employees * Mr Ramshaw as Torquil, the Eagle * John Rae as Old Shepherd *

Anthony Eustrel Anthony Eustrel (12 October 1902 – 2 July 1979) was an English actor. Eustrel made guest appearances on television programs such as '' Perry Mason'', ''Maverick'', ''Peter Gunn'', '' 77 Sunset Strip'', ''My Favorite Martian'', ''Hogan's Heroes ...

as Hooper * Herbert Lomas as Mr Campbell *

Graham Moffatt Graham Victor Harold Moffatt (6 December 1919 – 2 July 1965) was an English comedic character actor. He is best known for a number of films where he appeared with Will Hay and Moore Marriott as 'Albert': a plump cheekily insolent street-savv ...

as RAF Sergeant *

Petula Clark Petula Sally Olwen Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer. She has one of the longest serving careers of a British singer, spanning more than seven decades. Clark's professional career began during the ...

as Cheril, the precocious daughter of the Robinsons *Making their third appearance in ''I Know Where I'm Going!'' were director

Michael Powell Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English filmmaker, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company The Archers, they together wrote, produced and directed a seri ...

's golden cocker spaniels Erik and Spangle, who had previously appeared in ''

Contraband Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") refers to any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It is used for goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes o ...

'' (1940) and ''

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp ''The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp'' is a 1943 British romantic drama war film written, produced and directed by the Cinema of the United Kingdom, British film making team of Powell and Pressburger, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It s ...

'' (1943), and went on to be seen in

Powell and Pressburger The British film-making partnership of Michael Powell (1905–1990) and Emeric Pressburger (1902–1988)—together often known as The Archers, the name of their production company—made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s. T ...

's '' A Matter of Life and Death'', also known as ''Stairway to Heaven'' (1946).

Production

Development

Powell and Pressburger wanted to make ''A Matter of Life and Death'' but filming was held up because they wanted to do the film in colour and there was a shortage of colour cameras. (Technicolor cameras and technical specialists were mostly in Hollywood during the Second World War.) Pressburger suggested that instead they make a film that was part of the "crusade against materialism", a theme they had tackled in ''A Canterbury Tale'', only in a more accessible romantic comedy format. The story was originally called ''The Misty Island''. Pressburger wanted to make a film about a girl who wants to get to an island, but by the end of the film no longer wants to. Powell suggested an island on Scotland's west coast. He and Pressburger spent several weeks researching locations and decided on the Isle of Mull. Pressburger wrote the screenplay in four days. "It just burst out, you couldn't hold back," he said. The movie was originally meant to star

Deborah Kerr Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE (30 September 192116 October 2007), known professionally as Deborah Kerr (), was a British actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress. During her international film career, Kerr won a ...

and

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was the top box-office attraction in the UK in 1944 and 1945; his British films inc ...

but Kerr could not get out of her contract with MGM, so they cast Wendy Hiller. Hiller was originally cast in the three roles Kerr played in ''The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp'' but had to withdraw because she got pregnant.Powell and Pressburger: the war years Badder, David.

Sight and Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...

; London Vol. 48, Iss. 1, (Winter 1978): 8. Six weeks before filming, Mason pulled out of the movie, saying he did not want to go on location.

read the script and asked to play the role. Powell thought he was too old and portly but Livesey lost "ten or twelve pounds" (four or five kilos) and lightened his hair; Powell was convinced, but Livesey was appearing in a West End play, ''The Banbury Nose'', during the shoot, so he was unable to go on location.

Filming

Shooting took place on the Isle of Mull and at Denham Studios. It was the second and last collaboration between the co-directors and

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

Erwin Hillier Erwin Hillier (2 September 1911 – 10 January 2005) was a German-born cinematographer known for his work in British cinema from the 1940s to 1960s. Early career Born in Germany to English-German Jewish parents (original surname Hiller), he stud ...

(who shot the entire film without a

light meter A light meter is a device used to measure the amount of light. In photography, a light meter (more correctly an exposure meter) is used to determine the proper exposure (photography), exposure for a photograph. The meter will include either a Di ...

).In the documentary ''I Know Where I'm Going Revisited'' (1994) on the Criterion DVD From various topographical references and a map briefly shown in the film, it is clear that the Isle of Kiloran is based on

Colonsay Colonsay (; gd, Colbhasa; sco, Colonsay) is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, located north of Islay and south of Mull. The ancestral home of Clan Macfie and the Colonsay branch of Clan MacNeil, it is in the council area of Argy ...

. The name Kiloran was borrowed from one of Colonsay's bays, Kiloran Bay. The heroine of the film is trying to get to "Kiloran" (Colonsay), but nobody ever gets there. No footage was shot on Colonsay. One of the most complex scenes shows the small boat battling the Corryvreckan whirlpool. This was a combination of footage shot at Corryvreckan between the Hebridean islands of

Scarba Scarba ( gd, Sgarba) is an island, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, just north of the much larger island of Jura. The island was owned by Richard Hill, 7th Baron Sandys, and has not been permanently inhabited since the 1960s. It is now covered in ...

and Jura, and Bealach a'Choin Ghlais (

Sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by ...

of the Grey Dogs) between Scarba and Lunga. *There are some long-distance shots looking down over the area, shot from one of the islands. *There are some middle-distance and close-up shots that were made from a small boat with a hand-held camera. *There were some model shots, done in the tank at the studio. These had gelatin added to the water so that it would hold its shape better and would look better when scaled up. *The close-up shots of the people in the boat were all done in the studio, with a boat on gimbals being rocked in all directions by some hefty studio hands while others threw buckets of water at them. These were filmed with the shots made from the boat with the hand-held camera projected behind them. *Further trickery joined some of the long- and middle-distance shots together with those made in the tank into a single frame. Though much of the film was shot in the Hebrides, Livesey was not able to travel to Scotland because he was performing in a West End play, ''The Banbury Nose'' by

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...

, at the time of filming. Thus all his scenes were shot in the studio at Denham, and a double (coached by Livesey in London) was used in all of his scenes shot in Scotland. These were then mixed so that the same scene would often have a middle-distance shot of the double and then a closeup of Livesey, or a shot of the double's back followed by a shot showing Livesey's face. The film was budgeted at £200,000 () and went £30,000 over. The actors received £50,000, of which one third went to Hiller. The whirlpool cost £40,000. Powell shot a scene at the end of the film where Catriona follows Torquil into the castle, to emphasise her love for him, but decided to cut it.

Music

John Laurie was the choreographer and arranger for the

cèilidh A cèilidh ( , ) or céilí () is a traditional Scottish or Irish social gathering. In its most basic form, it simply means a social visit. In contemporary usage, it usually involves dancing and playing Gaelic folk music, either at a house p ...

sequences. The puirt à beul "Macaphee" was performed by Boyd Steven, Maxwell Kennedy and Jean Houston of the

Glasgow Orpheus Choir The Glasgow Orpheus Choir was founded in Glasgow, Scotland in 1906 by Hugh S. Roberton. It originated in the Toynbee Musical Association, which had been created in 1901. The Glasgow Orpheus Choir came to be considered without peer in Britain, a ...

. The song sung at the cèilidh that Torquil translates for Joan is a traditional

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, an ...

song "Ho ro, mo nighean donn bhòidheach", originally translated into English as "Ho ro My Nut Brown Maiden" by

John Stuart Blackie John Stuart Blackie FRSE (28 July 1809 – 2 March 1895) was a Scottish scholar and man of letters. Biography He was born in Glasgow, on Charlotte Street, the son of Kelso-born banker Alexander Blackie (d.1846) and Helen Stodart. He was ...

in 1882. It is also played by three pipers marching toward Moy Castle at the start of the final scene. The film's other music is traditional Scottish and Irish songs and original music by Allan Gray.

Locations

* On the

Carsaig Bay Carsaig Bay is a cove on the Ross of Mull in the south of the Isle of Mull, off the west coast of Scotland. It is situated eastward of Rudha Fhaoilean, and south of Pennyghael. The bay is small and is surrounded by high, precipitous hills. It ...

– Carsaig Pier and boathouses, Carsaig House (Erraig), telephone box next to the waterfall. **

– Castle of Moy ** Duart Castle – Castle of Sorne ** Torosay Castle – Achnacroish *

Gulf of Corryvreckan The Gulf of Corryvreckan (from the Gaelic ''Coire Bhreacain'', meaning 'cauldron of the speckled seas' or 'cauldron of the plaid'), also called the Strait of Corryvreckan, is a narrow strait between the islands of Jura and Scarba, in Argyll and ...

– the whirlpool

Reception

Box office

The film was a hit at the box office and recovered its cost in the UK alone.MacDonald p 249

U.S. release

The film was one of the first five movies from the Rank Organisation to receive a release in the U.S. under a new arrangement. The others were '' Caesar and Cleopatra'', ''

The Rake's Progress ''The Rake's Progress'' is an English-language opera from 1951 in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings '' A Rake's Prog ...

'', ''

Brief Encounter ''Brief Encounter'' is a 1945 British romantic drama film directed by David Lean from a screenplay by Noël Coward, based on his 1936 one-act play ''Still Life''. Starring Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, and Joyce Carey, ...

'' and ''

The Wicked Lady ''The Wicked Lady'' is a 1945 British costume drama film directed by Leslie Arliss and starring Margaret Lockwood in the title role as a nobleman's wife who becomes a highwayman for the excitement. The film had one of the top audiences for a f ...

''.

Reviews

The film has received accolades from many critics: *"I've never seen a picture which smelled of the wind and rain in quite this way nor one which so beautifully exploited the kind of scenery people actually live with, rather than the kind which is commercialised as a show place." —

Raymond Chandler Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive durin ...

, ''Letters''. *"The cast makes the best possible use of some natural, unforced dialogue, and there is some glorious outdoor photography." —''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

'', 14 November 1945 *" thas interest and integrity. It deserves to have successors." —''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'', 16 November 1945 *"I reached the point of thinking there were no more masterpieces to discover, until I saw ''I Know Where I'm Going!''" —

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...

*The film critic

Barry Norman Barry Leslie Norman (21 August 1933 – 30 June 2017) was a British film critic, television presenter and journalist. He presented the BBC's cinema review programme, '' Film...'', from 1972 to 1998. Early life Born at St Thomas’s Hospital ...

included it among his 100 greatest films of all time. *The film critic

Molly Haskell Molly Clark Haskell (born September 29, 1939)Aitken, Ian, ed. (2006)''Encyclopedia of Documentary Film, Volume 2'' New York: Routledge. p. 541. . is an American feminist film critic and author. She contributed to '' The Village Voice''—fir ...

included it among her 10 greatest films of all time in the 2012 ''Sight & Sound'' poll. Pressburger said that, when he visited

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

in 1947, the head of the script department told him they considered the film's screenplay perfect and frequently watched it for inspiration.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* * * * . Full synopsis and film stills (and clips viewable from UK libraries).
Reviews and articles
at th
Powell & Pressburger Pages''I Know Where I’m Going!''
an essay by Ian Christie at the

Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cine ...

* . A documentary about the people and places in the film.
''I Know Where I'm Going!''
resource page.
Review of film
at ''Variety''

DVD reviews

;Region 1

by DVD Savant

by Megan Ratner at Bright Lights ;Region 2
I Know Where I'm Going! Review
from Noel Megahey at The Digital Fix

(in French) at DVD Classik (France) {{DEFAULTSORT:I Know Where I'm Going! 1945 films British black-and-white films British romantic drama films Films shot at Denham Film Studios Films by Powell and Pressburger Films set in Scotland Films set on islands Scottish Gaelic-language films 1945 romantic drama films 1940s English-language films 1940s British films