"Madame de ..." (1953, Max Ophuls) is about the marriage of a woman with a much older man. In "I know where I am going" a woman is about to enter in just such a marriage. Although the marriage has yet to take place, it will certainly happen. After all the bride knows where she is going c.q. what she is doing. The intro of the film showed us some examples of her determination at an early age.
The fun of the rest of the movie is that it shows us that the lady in question is far less sure of her real motivations than she thinks she is. Confronted with the mythical character of Scotland and the headstrong character of the Scots, her initial boldness crumbles down.
The confrontation between the Scots and the prospective bride contains a (not so well) hidden message. The intro of the film showed us not only the determination of the female but also her materialistic attitude. In the confrontation with the much more social (and philosophical) attitudes of the Scots it is obvious where the sympathy of the directors lies.
"I know where I am going" was for Powell and Pressburger an "in between movie" (just like "A Canterbury tale" (1944)), waiting for color filmstock to realise more ambitious projects like "Black narcissus" (1947) and "The red shoes" (1948). Apart from a warning against excessive materialism, "I know where I am going" is also a "love letter" to Scotland (the black and white images are really beautiful), just like "A Canterbury tale" was a love letter to Kent.
The fun of the rest of the movie is that it shows us that the lady in question is far less sure of her real motivations than she thinks she is. Confronted with the mythical character of Scotland and the headstrong character of the Scots, her initial boldness crumbles down.
The confrontation between the Scots and the prospective bride contains a (not so well) hidden message. The intro of the film showed us not only the determination of the female but also her materialistic attitude. In the confrontation with the much more social (and philosophical) attitudes of the Scots it is obvious where the sympathy of the directors lies.
"I know where I am going" was for Powell and Pressburger an "in between movie" (just like "A Canterbury tale" (1944)), waiting for color filmstock to realise more ambitious projects like "Black narcissus" (1947) and "The red shoes" (1948). Apart from a warning against excessive materialism, "I know where I am going" is also a "love letter" to Scotland (the black and white images are really beautiful), just like "A Canterbury tale" was a love letter to Kent.