A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
Adult themes
| Directors: | Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger |
| Actors: | David Niven, Kim Hunter, Robert Coote, Kathleen Byron, Richard Attenborough, Marius Goring |
Squadron Leader Peter Carter is alone in a blazing plane. As he prepares himself for death he confides his innermost secrets to a radio operator. He survives and later meets the woman he spoke to and they fall in love. During a brain operation, he meets characters from another world, and his spirit is put on trial. The verdict will decide whether he will live or die.
| Status: | LongWait |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 104mins |
| Origin: | UNITED KINGDOM |
| Aspect Ratio: | 4:3 |
A Matter of Life and Death
by Jess Lomas, 12/10/2011 2:51:00 PM
It seems the dynamic team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger is a staple for film lovers, yet it wasn’t until late last year that I jumped aboard the bandwagon. Though The Red Shoes will always be my favourite film from this writer-director-producer powerhouse, A Matter of Life and Death also ranks incredibly high. When squadron leader Peter Carter (David Niven) goes down with his burning plane during World War II, his final moments are spent conversing with American radio operator June (Kim Hunter), who is stationed in England. Despite not having a parachute, these final moments of human connection will lead to a miracle: Peter surviving the fall from the plane. While the mistake occurs because Conductor 71 (Marius Goring) did not collect him to take him to the Other World, he soon...
It seems the dynamic team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger is a staple for film lovers, yet it wasn’t until late last year that I jumped aboard the bandwagon. Though The Red Shoes will always be my favourite film from this writer-director-producer powerhouse, A Matter of Life and Death also ranks incredibly high.
When squadron leader Peter Carter (David Niven) goes down with his burning plane during World War II, his final moments are spent conversing with American radio operator June (Kim Hunter), who is stationed in England. Despite not having a parachute, these final moments of human connection will lead to a miracle: Peter surviving the fall from the plane. While the mistake occurs because Conductor 71 (Marius Goring) did not collect him to take him to the Other World, he soon tries to convince Peter to accept his fate and pass over. Of course, Peter and June have since fallen in love and he will do anything humanely possibly to stay with her.
What makes this film so unusual is the choice to film the Other World scenes in black and white, and the Earth scenes in colour. Much comparison to The Wizard of Oz has been made and the decision to reverse the assumption that the Other World should be shown in technicolour. Taking care never to refer to the Other World as Heaven it was said, "This is the story of two worlds, the one we know and another which exists only in the mind of a young airman whose life and imagination have been violently shaped by war”. It was left open-ended whether or not the Other World we see is real or whether it is part of a hallucination following Peter’s fall.
The film underwent a title change for its American release, which caused upset at the Powell and Pressburger camp, and deleted any mention of the word death by being renamed Stairway to Heaven. A film that was decades ahead of its time, with breathtaking cinematography from the legendary Jack Cardiff and a moving, romantic premise, A Matter of Life and Death is a rare gem.
4/5
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Lissa
says
Another wonderfully unique view of "life" from these producers and actors.