I Know Where I’m Going! (1945)

Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger. Starring Wendy Hiller, Roger Livesey, Pamela Brown, Finlay Currey, Catherine Lacey, George Carney, John Laurie, Nancy Price, Valentine Price.

Ambitious and headstrong young Englishwoman Hiller makes the titular declaration and sets out for a remote isle off the coast of Scotland to marry a rich, middle-aged tycoon, but poor weather leaves her stranded on a different island with a seaman (Livesey) who rouses her interest and libido. Evocative outdoor photography from Erwin Hillier, colorful locals, and the elemental atmosphere mix well with Powell and Pressburger’s ever-certain command to create an unusual but rather special mood. Hiller’s feisty stubbornness pairs well with Livesey’s more reticent and morose behavior, and even if her actions aren’t always credible and the storytelling is flawed (the “castle curse” aspect never quite sits right), the leads never disappear into the folds of the almost overwhelmingly damp, earthy aesthetic. The sea storm/whirlpool sequence is quite magnificent even by today’s standards. A young Petula Clark has a minor role.

78/100