A Matter of Life and Death 1946 Directed by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
When a young airman miraculously survives bailing out of his aeroplane without a parachute, he falls in love with an American radio operator. But the officials in the other world realise their mistake, and despatch an angel to collect him.
Stairway to Heaven, Neste Mundo e No Outro, A vida o muerte, Irrtum im Jenseits, Une question de vie ou de mort, Een Zaak van Leven en Dood
"Tell me, do you believe in the survival of human personality after death?"
"I don't know, I'd never thought about it, do you?"
"I don't know, I've thought about it too much."
The December Challenge: Film #100
What is life without love?
This is a question at the heart of Powell and Pressburger’s classic, A Matter of Life and Death: a movie I adore unreservedly and the only fitting choice for my 100th film of the December Challenge.
It seems to me that your first introduction to the work of The Archers often ends up becoming a lifelong favourite. Their films, particularly those made between ‘43-’48, are magical and transformative experiences that open your eyes to a whole new world of cinema you never even knew existed. Therefore, it’s hardly surprising that your first taste is always going to be the sweetest and most enduring. Whilst A Matter of Life and Death…
I LOVED this!
With a wonderful opening that's eerily reminiscent of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life from the same year, but far superior in both execution and elocution, and a central conceit that may have been influenced by Alexander Hall’s Here Comes Mr. Jordan, but turned on its head, A Matter of Life and Death is simply charming.
There’s something about that particular time where it’s ok for true love to blossom in the space of minutes over the wireless. We believe it. Completely. When by chance, and I’m so glad that chance always works for the better in these types of films, our soon to be lovers meet, against all odds on heaven and earth, you know this…
I had seen this back in the day when I was a young pup under the title of "Stairway To Heaven" and loved it! David Niven and Kim Hunter were wonderful together as the star crossed lovers!
A marvelously charming and whimsical tale that was a real treat to watch!
My one and only gripe was the totally unnecessary and quite frankly unwanted heavy handed spiel about this American versus British garbage! Barring that little misstep it's still a winner in my book!
Film was recommended by Viktor Prentovski via my Movie Request Hotline List! Thank You Viktor for recommending it, it was a real blast from the past!
77/100
Second viewing, last seen 25 years ago, and boy did I not remember that the trial takes a lengthy, impassioned detour into Anglo-U.S. relations. Which isn't without interest, to be sure, but feels clumsily imposed upon this particular narrative, cross-pond romance notwithstanding. (Apparently, it was imposed...or, rather, the project was initially commissioned as a means of improving said relations. While that worked beautifully in A Canterbury Tale—my very favorite Archers production—it feels more like an afterthought here.) Also not keen on Goring's arch, twinkly performance, which stands in stark contrast to the Other World's bureaucratic vibe. Everything else, from Niven and Hunter's instant long-distance rapport in the extraordinary opening sequence (one of very few "love at first sight" encounters…
How good are sets? How sad it is we now need die to ever see something constructed like this again. The fakest looking rock denotes more realism than the most convincing CGI.
Original, surreal, should have kept the name Stairway to Heaven. The end took a quick turn to international relations and a highly optimistic tone which may be excused due to the fact that this was made right after the WWII and is exactly what was needed at that time. Some modern day anti-democratic swines should also be required to watch this.
“A weak mind isn't strong enough to hurt itself. Stupidity has saved many a man from going mad.”
A wondrously magical film, A Matter of Life and Death pitches a fantastically endearing story with some of the most impressively imaginative production design and use of color I’ve seen on film.
Seriously, the vivid colors and absolutely jaw-dropping set decoration and overall design is mind-blowing - it looks so beautiful. And it starts right from the beginning; an incredible panning track of the universe, and then straight into the harrowing drama and fear of war and death. It really catches your attention. And the film just continues from there with impressive scope and creative imagination.
The acting is…
The cinematography, the use of color, the set design, holy shit
And this was in fucking 1946 oh my god so good
Powell and Pressburger always astonish with their visuals and and world building. technicolour is always welcome. I didn’t appreciate it as much as I wanted to though. Charming outlook on death with some fantastic sequences, yet lacking in some areas.
Similar reaction to Blithe Spirit from many years ago. A nicely amusing screenplay, handsomely mounted, but there is something hopelessly innocuous here which eludes my engagement. There is no depth, the romance is laughable, the afterlife depicted an ironical hell (the jury selection scene particularly brutally unfunny). A quaint and airy early British technicolor which I have no interest in ever seeing again, but nice enough nonetheless. The cinematic equivalent of Church morning tea and biscuits for the modern viewer I'm afraid.
I was enjoying this but the last 20 minutes really pushed the film into greatness.
Its completely engaging, romantic, funny and fantasticly weird.
Loved it!
Also I watched the new 4k restoration and for a film that came out in 1946, I was absalutely blown away by how good it looked!
A fantastic cock-and-bull story to salve the morale at the end of WWII, UK filmmaker-duo Powell and Pressburger’s A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH whimsically goes off the beaten path to juxtapose two worlds side by side, the one on earth and the one in the afterlife (rigorously separated by its Technicolor/monochrome divide), only, in the center it is a hokey and far-fetched case of love-at-the-first-word, between a RAF pilot Peter Carter (Niven) and an American radio operator June (Hunter), their instant love after then becomes the rub of a celestial case, regarding Peter’s miraculous escape from death by jumping out of his burning bomber with a parachute (answerable by the thick fog over the England channel, lol!).
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