Bill B
Dated, but pleasant fantasy about an RAF pilot in WWII who shouldn't have survived the war, and now must fight to stay among the living with his newfound American sweetheart. Interesting examination of the complicated relationship between Britain and the United States.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
04/06/24
Full Review
Alec B
As with all of the Powell and Pressburger films from this era it feels wildly ahead of what anyone else was making at the time. A gorgeous spectacle that is undeniably moving (especially during the opening and final scenes).
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/20/24
Full Review
IAN c B
Absoluetly heart wrenching movie
that brings tears and smiles to your face.
My late partner and i loved this movie
and watched it several times over the years
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/12/24
Full Review
Bob W
One of the best from the most underrated of classic-era filmmakers, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. A funny and moving fantasy (or is it?) with some serious points to make and a little bit of a peak inside WW II-era politics. Specifically, it was made partly to ease tensions between the UK and US publics and may have helped pave the way for "the special relationship" that still plays a role, for better and for worse, in international relations. But did I say it's a glorious romance in beautiful Technicolor and gorgeous black and white! Check it out.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
09/22/23
Full Review
Matthew B
A Matter of Life and Death is one of the rare movies that balance reality and fantasy so well that the audience are left uncertain whether the magical events actually happened, or whether there is a more prosaic explanation for them.
In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy Gale is transported away from the sepia world of her farm in Kansas and into the colourful and bright realm of Oz, a fairy tale realm where she befriends a talking scarecrow, tin man and lion, and kills witches. In A Matter of Life and Death, the process is reversed. Squadron Leader Peter Carter (David Niven) is about to be plucked from life on Earth, filmed in vibrant Technicolour, and passed over into a monochrome afterlife.
However the films share one aspect and that is ambiguity about whether the events really happened. Was Dorothy's trip to Oz the result of a dream that she had during a tornado in Kansas? Is Peter having hallucinations when he sees visions of the afterlife, and talks to a mysterious Conductor (Marius Goring) who is supposed to take him there? It is not helped by the fact that both Dorothy and Peter sustain a blow to the head shortly before this other world is revealed to them.
The story is presented as a deep romance, with love triumphing over death, and Peter's future decided by a tear left by June on a rose. The casting of David Niven and Kim Hunter does keep the viewer firmly on the ground however. Neither actor is especially ardent, and it is hard not to suspect that their love will be more of a cheerfully upbeat and comfortable one, in which they curl up in bed talking about Shakespeare and Mendelssohn, rather than pursing a passionate and carnal relationship. Not that this would necessarily be any less romantic.
One might expect that the next world would be the colourful and happy one away from this vale of tears, but that is not the case.
The afterlife is not exactly a miserable or oppressive place, but it does not look like much fun either. It is filmed in black-and-white. The people are bureaucratic, and rarely smile. What we see of the world beyond this one is a giant open plan office surrounded by modernist architecture, where human lives are invoiced and delivered. The trial takes place in a vast ethereal amphitheatre glowing with white incandescence, where large groups of identically-dressed people sit together. Conformity is the order of the day here.
By contrast, this world looks far more desirable, an array of bright colours in which we see sky, beach, sea and flowers. Human beings are individuals with their own personality traits and lives. They act in theatrical productions, write poems, play music and fall in love. No wonder Peter is not too keen to exchange this world for the other.
The film is not only universal in its message, but in its scope. Powell creates some of the most remarkable images put to screen in the 1940s. He begins the movie with a tour of the universe ("This is the universe – big, isn't it?" the narrator humorously intones). We see whole galaxies and planets, before finally the camera descends on Earth, then Europe, and finally onto Peter's plane.
In another scene, the camera pans out of the vast courtroom set, and we realise that the trial is taking place inside a nebula. As if this sight was not awe-inspiring enough, the courtroom is connected to Earth by a vast moving staircase that we saw earlier. This stairway is no mere special effect. It is a large prop that was specially constructed for the film.
Other bold touches include the rapid transitions between black-and-white and colour, the stopping of time that leaves characters frozen to the spot while Peter talks to the Conductor, the sheer level of vast expanse in the afterlife scenes, and those occasional mischievously peculiar touches, such as a point-of-view shot of Peter's eyelid closing.
A Matter of Life and Death is a movie that is not easily forgotten once seen. Like other great fantasies such as The Wizard of Oz, A Christmas Carol, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory or The Thief of Bagdad, it appeals to the sense of wonder shared by everyone, and yet remains distinct and unique, a film that is not like any other.
I wrote a longer appreciation of A Matter of Life and Death on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2019/12/20/a-matter-of-life-and-death-a-k-a-stairway-to-heaven-1946/
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
08/30/23
Full Review
Dani G
Considering the year it was made, very impressive SFX, to accompany a very good editing of this technicolor fantasy flick. In fact, I didn't expected it to be in color. About the story, though, not the most appealing to me, and it reminded me a lot of Heaven can Wait.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
08/15/23
Full Review
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