I Know Where I'm Going


Rating = B

I ordered this 1945 movie from Netflix after reading an interview of Tilda Swinton who claimed to rewatch it regularly. It's about a women who has her path to improving her life planned out since childhood, and who is now traveling to a remote Scottish island to marry an older rich industrialist. A storm prevents the small boat trip from the mainland to the island for several days, during which she spends time in the company of a man from the island (also stuck on the mainland), and her intellectual plan comes in conflict with newfound feelings. Naturally feelings win out in the final few minutes of the movie.

Apparently many people consider this to be one of the great romantic movies, and there is a documentary movie about its making: “I Know Where I'm Going Revisited.” In my view the movie suffers the same problem of most (all?) the old greats — it feels old fashioned and contrived compared to modern movie making. It may have been an A movie then; it's no more than a B movie now.

[2010-07-24, DVD]