The only reason this unobtrusive film is given a place in the Criterion Collection correlates directly to the involvement of directors Powell and Pressburger. Their films are visually stunning, critically lauded, and have the interpersonal struggles and calculated nuances of a Tennessee Williams play. Still, this
daftly titled film can't touch their magnum opus, The Red Shoes. It's a beautifully shot film, even for the black and white format of the time it was made. If the setting wasn't in the Scottish highlands, there wouldn't be anything special about this film. The plot follows gold digging non-descript Joan Webster (Hiller) as she tries to wed an octogenarian businessman who plans the wedding's location for the far off island of Kiloran. Joan becomes trapped on a nearby isle during a gale, where she meets an eagle obsessed countryman, lowly servant Katrina, and a Naval Captain who we all accurately predict she falls for in 40's clichéd fashion. This formula usually works quite well, but the lack of comedy and the Pressburger/Powell styling made this less about a frivolous romantic plot and more about Scottish culture, customs, and traditions. There's even an intensely detailed account of a curse on the Captain, which I must admit had a slight Gaelic charm, but was just another avenue of thought that contributed nothing to the film. It's not quite romance, drama, or comedy, but there is in fact something worth watching for everyone.
October 14, 2010
