{"id":94385,"date":"2016-02-12T16:06:21","date_gmt":"2016-02-12T21:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/?p=94385"},"modified":"2016-02-12T16:06:39","modified_gmt":"2016-02-12T21:06:39","slug":"i-know-where-im-going","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2016\/02\/12\/i-know-where-im-going\/","title":{"rendered":"I Know Where I\u2019m Going!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

A still from I Know Where I\u2019m Going!<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n

I\u2019ve been trying for some days now to think of something really romantic to recommend to people for Valentine\u2019s Day. But it seems that many of the things I thought were romantic are, in fact, creepy. I\u2019ve learned this since getting married and showing my husband some of my favorite films.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Granted, everyone knows\u00a0Seven Brides for Seven Brothers<\/em>\u00a0is kind of \u2026 problematic. I have made my peace with this fact<\/a>. And, sure,\u00a0My Fair Lady<\/em>\u00a0is famously ambivalent. (\u201cWhat is\u00a0wrong<\/em>\u00a0with Shaw? You didn\u2019t tell me it was all about the threat of sexual violence!\u201d) And it\u2019s true,\u00a0The Major and\u00a0the Minor<\/em>\u00a0was much weirder than I remembered it being. I began to worry about my younger self.<\/p>\n

But I think\u2014think<\/em>, mind you\u2014that\u00a0I Know Where I\u2019m Going!<\/a><\/em>\u00a0is still a safe bet for romantic viewing. Not that the 1945 film isn\u2019t peculiar, of course. It is. But it\u2019s peculiar in that way that characterizes all Powell-Pressburger productions, which is to say charming and a bit eccentric and thoroughly, rhapsodically British.\u00a0IKWIG<\/em>\u00a0is the story of an independent young woman who goes to the Scottish Hebrides to marry her wealthy fianc\u00e9; in the process she\u2019s stranded by bad weather. Romance, hunting dogs, a great deal of reserve, a c\u00e8ilidh, and stunning on-location scenery ensues.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, here\u2019s the thing. Not everyone finds the romance plausible. I\u2019ve had some people find Wendy Hiller\u2019s portrayal too brittle, too arch; others find the pace improbable. One friend found the male lead insufficiently dashing\u2014although in the interests of full disclosure, he was an early crush for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But whatever you think of the actual romance going on, you will fall hopelessly in love with the scenery, the island, the sense of life there, and the character played by a young Petula Clark. (Not in a\u00a0Major and the Minor<\/em>\u00a0way.) Think of it as a glorious destination wedding where you may or may not approve of the marriage but can thoroughly enjoy the party. If you need further convincing, I give you the following exchange from our screening:<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a bit odd, isn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho isn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n

A perfect credo for Valentine\u2019s Day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sadie Stein is contributing editor of <\/em>The Paris Review, and the <\/em>Daily\u2019s correspondent.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been trying for some days now to think of something really romantic to recommend to people for Valentine\u2019s Day. But it seems that many of the things I thought were romantic are, in fact, creepy. I\u2019ve learned this since getting married and showing my husband some of my favorite films.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13115],"tags":[14116,21161,81,5335,16907,13449,12503,15637,6382,21162],"class_list":["post-94385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-our-daily-correspondent","tag-classic-movies","tag-i-know-where-im-going","tag-movies","tag-musicals","tag-plots","tag-romantic-comedies","tag-seven-brides-for-seven-brothers","tag-the-forties","tag-valentines-day","tag-wendy-hiller"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNeed a Valentine\u2019s Day Movie? 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