With the end of the Second World War in sight, Powell and Pressburger turned their attention from films such as 49th Parallel (1941), films that featured an element of propaganda designed to serve the war effort, to work of broader appeal. In this romantic comedy, ambitious and singleminded Joan (Wendy Hiller) is engaged to an extremely wealthy and much older industrialist. To the frustration of a woman for whom life is usually meticulously planned, inclement weather waylays her as she travels to her wedding. While she waits, she meets local laird Torquil MacNeil (Roger Livesey), and discovers that perhaps she isn’t as sure of what she wants as she had thought.

Screening as part our Powell & Pressburger season, December 2nd – 20th.

Notes by Kevin Coyne