Review: A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

A Matter of Life and Death

Rating

Director

Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Screenplay

Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Length

1h 44m

Starring

David Niven, Kim Hunter, Robert Coote, Kathleen Byron, Richard Attenborough, Bonor Colleano, Joan Maude, Marius Goring, Roger Livesey, Roger Atkins

MPAA Rating

Review

Released in the U.S. as Stairway to Heaven, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s gorgeous romantic drama is a sight to behold. A Matter of Life and Death, the original British title, takes place at the end of World War II as an RAF pilot (David Niven) faces certain death as his plane is about to crash.

The voice of a control tower operator (Kim Hunter) provides his final comfort before plunging into the ocean. As his friend (Robert Coote) awaits in an otherworldly place, it is discovered that Niven’s Peter Carter has missed his destiny and remains alive, lost in the fog and washed ashore on the very coast where the radio operator lives. There, he falls in love, but his happiness is threatened when the afterlife conductor (Marius Goring) who missed him in the fog insists that he follow him towards death in spite of his new found love interest.

A trial awaits, but not before Hunter’s June and Peter’s physician, Dr. Reeves (Roger Livesey), begin to suspect he suffers from a brain abnormality that’s causing him to hallucinate his encounters with the afterlife.

This film has a technical wizardry about it that puts to shame most films of the period. A compelling fantasy that sits thematically somewhere between Lost Horizon and The Devil and Daniel Webster, A Matter of Life and Death brilliantly employs gorgeous production design, stellar cinematography, and superb performances from a talented cast. This is the kind of movie that fades from broad appeal, but is nevertheless impressive.

While the film does not seek to call this afterlife Heaven, since it seems to house members of various religions, as evinced in the trial sequence where thousands of military personnel from around the world have gathered to watch the events unfold. That said, the similarities are strong and, whether you believe in an afterlife or not, it’s one of the most fascinating depictions in cinema history. The color photography of real world scenes and black-and-white style of the otherworldly ones add a nice touch to the proceedings in a reverse of the usage employed in The Wizard of Oz almost a decade earlier.

Powell and Pressburger have this film as one of the myriad testaments to their artistry, exploring heady subjects with affinity and bringing the audiences unique visions and settings they might not otherwise get to experience from mainstream filmmaking. A Matter of Life and Death is a significant achievement and any dedicated film enthusiast must put this film at or near the top of their must-watch lists.