Delving into the so-called masterpiece that so many people across the world fell in love with, Nancy Franklin revisits I Know Where I’m Going! (1945), originally directed by Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell. From having insightful interviews with some of the original cast to exploring the Scottish Isles, Franklin uncovers the lost beauties of this timeless film.
“Like the actress who was swept off her feet by Roger Livesey, I was swept off my feet by this movie”
Nancy Franklin, editor at the New Yorker
The original film follows the main character, Joan Webster (Wendy Hiller), and her spontaneous endeavours across the United Kingdom. Leaving her home in Manchester, she travels north to marry an older and wealthier man, Sir Robert Bellinger. Due to poor weather on her way to Isle of Kiloran, she ends up stranded, waiting on the Isle of Mull — a place where she doesn’t quite fit in. Trapped between her life of wealth and her life changing lover, Torquil MacNeil, showing her a new world of values, Joan has a difficult and life-changing decision to make.
Though the plot may now seem like a generic story, this film was incredibly successful when it was released in 1945. Over the decades it has been available to view, the depth of which the movie explores is an aspect that has been largely forgotten. The beauty lies in the blueprint of the idea of a girl who knows what she wants (but doesn’t really), and it paves the way for a breakdown of the complexities of life and womanhood. In its time, the movie dissected the importance of changing societal values from wealth and classism to focusing on humanity and love. The portrayal of these timeless values, taught to Joan on the Isle of Mull, is what the interviewees singled out in the revisited film as “life-changing”.
It also was noted that though director Michael Powell was aware of the national differences of the Scottish and English people, cultures and history, he focused on taking a light and romantic approach. Additionally, many cultures such as the Celtic Western Isles and Hungarian Jewish culture were portrayed, often linked to the cultural perception of poverty not strictly about having low money, but about something bigger than that — connection with other people and the natural world.
Nancy Franklin, an editor at the New Yorker, was the main source of journalistic input within I Know Where I’m Going: Revisited (1994). Franklin travelled to the hotel and the iconic telephone box by the waterfall in Scotland where many of the important scenes of the movie were filmed. She had been a long term fan of the directors’ work, and once she had seen the movie, she knew it would only be a matter of fate for her to visit the Isle of Mull. Through her travels, she was able to interview some of the production team and locals that assisted in creating the masterpiece. One of the interviewees was Polly Sharp, who had been the person responsible for dropping the lead actress off at the set every day. Sharp proclaimed that Hiller was always lovely to her and would sit in the front seat to make conversation.
“I can’t say I’ve ever had £90 in my hand, but I can say I’ve had it on my head!”
Polly Sharp, driver to lead actress
Outstanding insights into the difficulties, intricate details and intentions truly grant the viewer an understanding of the incredible efforts put in without access to current technologies. Hearing about the ideas behind the cinematic vision, the setting immediately becomes clear as to how integral it is to the original film’s identity. Described as mysterious and majestic by many, it sets the scene for what is a personal journey of development as confirmed by Hiller who stated that “everything was moving”. The values of these aesthetics portray the ongoing voyage into a personal revelation.
I Know Where I’m Going: Revisited (1994) captures every aspect of the original film as possible. From delving into the dynamics with the directors, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, to learning more about the behind the scenes of the filming process, this documentary is a good insight into the remarkable I Know Where I’m Going! (1945).
I Know Where I’m Going: Revisited (1994) is playing at the Cinema Reborn Film Festival at the Randwick Ritz in Sydney and Lido Cinemas in Melbourne. Click here to access the 2024 program running from May 1-7.
Student prices for tickets to the 2024 Cinema Reborn Festival have been set at $15.00.
The documentary I Know Where I’m Going! Revisited is also available on the Criterion DVD of I Know Where I’m Going!
