I Know Where I'm Going!
Dir: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
1945
****
As you'd expect from a Powell & Pressburger film, the script is sharp, witty and sublime. Made between fan favorites One of Our Aircraft Is Missing and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp that came before and Stairway to Heaven, Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes that came in the few years after, I Know Where I'm Going! is slap bang in the middle of what was arguably their most successful run. Although I believe the script and story are just as good, I found the film to be lacking the same effect as the other films. After reading that it was actually filmed in a relatively short amount of time while the pair were waiting for their ordered Colour Camera, it kind of makes sense. I don't want to take anything away from the film but some of the effects aren't as good as you'd expect from the two pioneers. I also found the tone to slip into schmaltzy Hollywood towards the end, when it started out as the polar opposite and intentionally so I thought. Dare I say it was rushed? It's a classic and I love it but when you compare it to their other films, it doesn't come close. They set the standards high, this would be a good introduction to their work.