I Know Where I'm Going! (1945)

~ Ever since she was a child, Joan Webster has known where she is going. That is to say, she is a rather stubborn and independent woman. As she has always desired to be wealthy, the young Englishwoman jumps on the chance to marry the rich (and insanely old) owner of a successful chemicals company. Joan's Intended lives on an island in the remote Scottish Hebrides, so her wedding is scheduled to take place on the island of Kiloren (her fiancee's remote island), but adverse weather conditions cause her to be stranded on the nearby Isle of Mull. Every day Joan prays that the weather shall improve and that a boat shall come to take her to her wedding, and every day Joan grows more and more attached to the people and way of life of the Isle of Mull, as well as developing a growing attachment to one person in particular ~

Sound like a romance to you? You're right. Sound like one of those cliched stories where a spoiled woman meets honest and hard-working peasants and falls in love with one peasant in particular and learns what life is really all about (*cough cough* It Happened One Night)? You're (kinda) right again. Sound like a movie that's okay but you probably wouldn't enjoy? You're wrong! This movie is wonderful and I strongly doubt anyone would NOT enjoy it (except maybe my dad).

'I know where I'm going!' was filmed on location in Scotland, and when you put that fact together with the talents of two excellent filmmakers -Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger- let me tell you, magic is made! I have recently watched quite a few movies by Powell and Pressburger (who's productions were formally known as 'The Archers' productions) and while it is quite hard to choose, I think this one might be my favorite so far. The cinematography is gorgeous, the scenery is gorgeous, the two main actors have great chemistry together, and the story-line is just too romantic and magical. There is also a great deal of Scottish folk lore and tradition contained in this film, which is an added bonus to anyone who loves Scotland and its traditions, such as myself.

When Joan Webster first realizes that she will not be taken by boat to the island of Kiloren, she is forced to stay at a large house, currently used as a boarding house for weary travelers. There she meets Torquill MacNeil, a Scottish native of the Isle of Mull and currently on an eight-day leave from the navy. This movie was filmed during the last year of World War II. Fog is the fiend that keeps Joan from her Beloved (or maybe not so beloved???) fiancee, and while I have all the sympathy in the world for dear old Joan, I don't regret the fog, cause man alive does it give us some epic shots!

Joan's host and Torquill's good friend, Katrina, returning from a hunt with the hounds.

Joan's first night spent on the little Isle of Mull has her saying a prayer to God that the fog will lift from the waters, so's she may be be wedded as soon as possible to her Beloved (or IS he????). Needless to say, God has a sense of humor. The fog certainly lifts, but in its place God leaves a bevy of gale-force winds. It is impossible to leave for Kiloren. Mr. MacNeil, whom Joan is not yet well acquainted with, offers to take her to a little shack a few miles away where an old woman owns a wireless set. There she may call her Beloved (I'm still not convinced). On their travels there and back, Joan is at first a little stuck up as MacNeil chats with the natives, who happen to be making fun of the 'rich man who lives on Kiloren'. I bet you can't guess who that is.

Joan and Torquill together on the bus.

But Joan softens and can't help liking MacNeil as she tours the countryside with him, getting to know the people of the Isle and learning the ancient folklore of the Hebrides. 

One of the best parts of this movie is when Torquill takes Joan to a local Ceilidh. The two of them watch most of the festivities from outside, which include dancing, singing, and lots of bagpipes, but eventually are pulled into the lively Scottish dancing themselves. The singing is really good, as is the dancing. I love Scotland!!!!!

Joan and Torquill watching the festivities... Well, at least one of them is.

Although Joan is having a perfectly lovely time with Master MacNeil, she grows more and more desperate with each passing day for the winds to die down so that she may travel to Kiloren. Why? you may ask. Well, Miss Webster is a bit of an idiot. All her life she has wanted to be rich, and since she is ambitious and independent, she thinks (or thought) she had accomplished this ambition by hooking up with ol' Consolidated Chemical Industries, even though she doesn't really love him. But hey, money is what counts, right? Well, that's what Joan always thought, but something is happening to make her change her mind, and our headstrong heroine is desperate to leave the Isle of Mull before all her long-thought over hopes of wealth vanish in the mist. In fact, she is so desperate to run away from her feelings, that she may go so far as to risk her own and others' lives in the process.

That is all I want to spoil so I'll leave you to watch the movie to find out what happens to Joan and her ambitions. This really is a lovely movie, and I'm sure you won't regret watching it. It's cozy and warm, and leaves one with a very satisfied feeling. I'll just leave you with this and a few other screenshots and then I'll be going.

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