My memory unfurls on noting that I Know Where I'm Going,(IKWIG) 1945,
will be shown yet again on BBC 2, Sat 21 Jan, 08.30-10.00hrs; must be a decade since I posted on R3 about a screening which started a lively discussion, including members who had visited the island of Mull and confirmed the existence of several locations. Always a pleasure to revisit this romantic drama - I view an off-air DVD recording annually - of a feisty young woman setting off on a journey to a Scottish landscape with a commitment to marry a rich landowner and...
I was a schoolboy when I first saw this film in 1945, at Aberdeen, in the post-WW2 era and became enraptured by its mystique and folklore which always attracted me to NFT screenings in my London years.
Wendy Hiller was an ideal casting for the headstrong heroine, although Deborah Kerr was favoured for this role of Joan Webster by director, Michael Powell, after her radiant performance in Powell's, The Life & Death of Col Blimp, 1943. I first saw Wendy Hiller as Eliza Doolittle in the splendid film version of Pygmalion, late 30s. As a thesp in the 60s/70s, I got to know Wendy in the West end theatre circuit, always direct and down to earth. I asked whether she was likely to sanction a biography and she instantly told me that she couldn't warm to such an idea. Such a shame as I always made a point of following her distinguished stage career. A powerful stage presence and so subtle in suggesting vulnerability, or unexpected surges of anger. IKWIG, as a film, strikes a perfect balance between the classical, the romantic, and the rhapsodic.
Further, I also anticipate Saturday's screening as I also have an off-air video, now on DVD, of a 30mins documentary on The Making of IKWIG, 1995, made by a female journalist on the New York Tribune, a devotee of the film and encouraged - sponsored? - by Martin Scorsese, another fervent admirer of the Powell & Pressburger team. Powell settled in LA in the 60s and married his editor, Thelma Schoonmaker. Powell was thrilled and touched by an early set of stills at various locations, and filmed in colour which made him realise his mistake by filming in monochrome. Later, Thelma arranged for the journalist to talk to Powell by phone but, alas, he died before they could meet.
I also treasure my Powell & Pressburger DVD boxset with pristine remastered prints of many of their titles, bearing in mind that they also enjoyed a highly creative team filming under the production head of The Archers for several decades. In particular, I instantly recall the vibrant colour mix of The Thief of Bagdad, 1940, Life & Death of Col Blimp, 1943, A Matter of Life & Death, 1946, Black Narcissus, 1947, The Red Shoes, 1948, Gone to Earth, 1950, & The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) - each title favoured with shelf-room here. This weekend, I look forward to matching IKWIG with The Making of Documentary and feel that BBC2 has missed a trick by failing to do likewise in their scheduling.
Additionally, the Powell & Pressburger output is widely discussed in two biographies: Michael Powell - A Life in Movies, Heinemann, 1986, and a second volume, Million-Dollar Movie, 1992, Heinemann. A treasure trove, strongly recommended.
will be shown yet again on BBC 2, Sat 21 Jan, 08.30-10.00hrs; must be a decade since I posted on R3 about a screening which started a lively discussion, including members who had visited the island of Mull and confirmed the existence of several locations. Always a pleasure to revisit this romantic drama - I view an off-air DVD recording annually - of a feisty young woman setting off on a journey to a Scottish landscape with a commitment to marry a rich landowner and...
I was a schoolboy when I first saw this film in 1945, at Aberdeen, in the post-WW2 era and became enraptured by its mystique and folklore which always attracted me to NFT screenings in my London years.
Wendy Hiller was an ideal casting for the headstrong heroine, although Deborah Kerr was favoured for this role of Joan Webster by director, Michael Powell, after her radiant performance in Powell's, The Life & Death of Col Blimp, 1943. I first saw Wendy Hiller as Eliza Doolittle in the splendid film version of Pygmalion, late 30s. As a thesp in the 60s/70s, I got to know Wendy in the West end theatre circuit, always direct and down to earth. I asked whether she was likely to sanction a biography and she instantly told me that she couldn't warm to such an idea. Such a shame as I always made a point of following her distinguished stage career. A powerful stage presence and so subtle in suggesting vulnerability, or unexpected surges of anger. IKWIG, as a film, strikes a perfect balance between the classical, the romantic, and the rhapsodic.
Further, I also anticipate Saturday's screening as I also have an off-air video, now on DVD, of a 30mins documentary on The Making of IKWIG, 1995, made by a female journalist on the New York Tribune, a devotee of the film and encouraged - sponsored? - by Martin Scorsese, another fervent admirer of the Powell & Pressburger team. Powell settled in LA in the 60s and married his editor, Thelma Schoonmaker. Powell was thrilled and touched by an early set of stills at various locations, and filmed in colour which made him realise his mistake by filming in monochrome. Later, Thelma arranged for the journalist to talk to Powell by phone but, alas, he died before they could meet.
I also treasure my Powell & Pressburger DVD boxset with pristine remastered prints of many of their titles, bearing in mind that they also enjoyed a highly creative team filming under the production head of The Archers for several decades. In particular, I instantly recall the vibrant colour mix of The Thief of Bagdad, 1940, Life & Death of Col Blimp, 1943, A Matter of Life & Death, 1946, Black Narcissus, 1947, The Red Shoes, 1948, Gone to Earth, 1950, & The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) - each title favoured with shelf-room here. This weekend, I look forward to matching IKWIG with The Making of Documentary and feel that BBC2 has missed a trick by failing to do likewise in their scheduling.
Additionally, the Powell & Pressburger output is widely discussed in two biographies: Michael Powell - A Life in Movies, Heinemann, 1986, and a second volume, Million-Dollar Movie, 1992, Heinemann. A treasure trove, strongly recommended.
One of Scorsese's all time favourite films. A joy!
Comment