A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Nice effects though.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

At the end of the Second World War, relations between the Americans and the British were a little strained as, in the run-up to D-Day, the yanks won local hearts while they were "overpaid, oversexed and over here" and a British Government department suggested the idea of a locally-made film to improve perceptions.Written, produced and directed by the quintessentially British Michael Powell and the Hungarian-born Emeric Pressburger, the work may not have fully met its contemporary brief: British critics of the time thought the film was too pro-American and the Americans renamed the work "Stairway To Heaven" because they thought the word 'death' would kill its prospects. But the movie played well with audiences on both sides of the Atlantic and it was so visually inventive and verbally clever that it has become a classic.At the heart of the story is an inversion of the usual 'yank gets the girl' narrative, as RAF bomber pilot Squadron Leader Peter Carter (David Niven) wins the affection of American radio operator June (Kim Hunter) in record time and audacious circumstances as he is about to bale out without a parachute. That should be the end of the 'matter' but Conductor 71 (Marius Goring) of "the other world" (the word 'heaven'is never used) fails to find his man in the Channel fog.So this is a romance - and a comedy - but it is also very political with some satirical analysis of contemporary Britain and America. The tribunal in the other world, pitting American prosecuter (Raymond Massey) against the British defender (Roger Livesey), features critiques and characteriisations of both nations, not least in the choice of the members of the two juries.The set designs - by German-born Alfred Junge - are simple but striking, especially the staircase to the other world and the scenes of that world, while there are a whole range of clever visual techniques, starting with the representation of earth in colour and the heavenly world in black & white and including the 'freezing' of 'real life' when Conductor 71 makes his earthly appearances and an amzing shot from an eyeball point of view.Even the statutes on the stairway are carefully chosen (all of the 17 famous personages named in Pressburger's copy of the script were believed to be sufferers of epilepsy). Indeed the whole film is constructed so that the viewer can interpret the story either as a real life medical phenomenon or as an obviously spiritual experience.Most people will only have seen this film on television which is where I first encountered it. But, in December 2017, a digitally restored version was shown in British cinemas and I was fortunate enough to see it on the big screen as a Boxing Day treat.Seven decades on, the film still has resonance as a British Prince Harry wins the heart of the American actress Meghan Markle and the second jury - made up entirely of self-declared immigrants to the USA - reminds us that current US President Donald Trump does not represent the real America.

**Minor Spoiler- very minor**What unfolds before our eyes is nothing short of a miracle. Literally, and figuratively. This is one of the most complete movies on all levels I may have seen. Do I dare say near perfection, risking to much puff- Nah! This is a 70 year old movie that proves some movies are timeless. A Matter of Life and Death, a.k.a. Stairway to Heaven, provides us viewers with a superb film produced that deals specifically with the subject of what happens to us when we die(similar themes in Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Topper, Ghost, Heaven Can Wait, Meet Joe Black, Defending Your Life, Dragonfly, Hereafter etc.) although I think ideas for the script may have been helped along by parts of King Vidor's 1929, "Hallelujah". Many other popular films to follow would give us similar takes on this Powell & Pressburger (written, directed, produced) opus by their British film production company, The Archers, which has given us a number of memorable offerings- The Black Narcissus, Hour of Glory, A Canterbury Tales, I Know Where I Am Going, The Tales of Hoffman etc. from the mid 40's- mid 50's. This may be the best partnership/team/actors/technical people ever put together, and certainly for quality few can compare, maybe The Mirisch Company, American film production company owned by Walter Mirisch and his brothers, Marvin and Harold Mirisch. and the Cohen Brothers another more modern(and sometimes offbeat) American film production group. Stairway to Heaven provides award winning cinematography and production design(Alfred Junge), excellent acting, superb script and soundtrack, A+ directing and editing even groundbreaking sfx. Niven and Hunter set the tone right from the opening scene- so much so you hope the rest of the story won't be a let down- it isn't. Another stand-out performance is given by Raymond Massey as the prosecutor- although you can tell it was produced by the English, they paint the American over the top superior, egotistical and angry. I think they mixed us up with the French. Anyway, bottom line, if you haven't seen it yet you are missing a top 100 movie fantasy that will stay with you.

'A Matter of Life and Death' is the 3rd Powell-Pressburger film that I have seen after 'Black Narcissus' and 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp'. It is again a fantastic film which blends elements of fantasy, social commentary and romance in the most enigmatic way and gave me further evidence as to why this filmmaking duo is so universally respected and needless to say that I loved the film.While watching the film, I think it is impossible to not think about 'The Wizard of Oz' and 'It's a Wonderful Life'. Similar to those this film uses fantasy elements in abundance which makes it feel like a fairy tale and its tone also like them has a constant innocence and charm that is impossible to avoid. Pressburger's script uses elements of fantasy to infuse a sense of optimism for the viewers at the time of its release which was 1946 when Britain and the rest of the world was still recovering from the devastating consequences of WW2. In this sense I find a thematic similarity between this film and Kurosawa's 'Rashomon'. Although Rashomon's plot and Kurosawa's style was gritty and serious while Powell's direction and Pressburger's script is enveloped in fantasy and charm, but the message in both the films in the end was to make the viewer believe in the salient aspects of humanity and especially in case of 'A Matter of Life and Death' Pressburger advocates the power of love to survive and forget the past in times of great distress after the war. I interpreted this film to be about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD and this film shows how the trauma of war though capable of driving someone insane, can still be overcome by loving someone else and getting loved in return. Like 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp', this film also has a pro-British nationalistic subtext. The tension between USA and Britain is a big issue which gets dealt with in the latter portion of the film and this is the only aspect that I didn't completely love. I understand what the filmmakers were trying which was to give hope for better relations in the future between these two nations and also to advocate the shelving of past prejudices against England, but it felt a bit too on the nose and I thought the treatment was a bit too overt. The England/USA aspect had already been commented upon in a subtle way in the rest of the film through the love between June, the American woman and Peter, the Englishman. Michael Powell's direction is again fantastic. The film has humanism written all over it. It looks beautiful like the other Powell- Pressburger films that I have seen. The vibrant colours and the awe- inspiring shots contrast the fantasy of the 'other world' with the reality of this world. The camera movements, the high- concept visual imagery, the editing, the special effects and all the technical aspects of the film are pretty much flawless.Another flawless aspect of the film is the acting from each and everyone. David Niven is charming to the fullest with his smart line delivery, Kim Hunter makes it impossible to make the viewer not fall in love with her character due to the sheer cuteness and adorableness that she exudes on screen. Roger Livesey who was brilliant as the figurative Colonel Blimp comes back and again delivers a confident, assured performance adding gravitas and weight to each line and each scene he is a part of. Lastly I have to mention Marius Goring who plays the colourful character of Conductor 71. He is devilishly funny, incredibly flamboyant, very likable and I couldn't take my eyes off him when on screen.So 'A Matter of Life and Death' is another great film that I have become familiar with from Powell-Pressburger's oeuvre. Although this film charmed me to the fullest and really impressed me, I still think 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp' is my favourite Powell- Pressburger film as of now. But that can easily change once I watch 'The Red Shoes'.

Its a little bit strange for me, thus far I have been reviewing classic 70's/80's films, so to review one from the 40's quite different. But his film is just outstanding. The cinematography is mind blowing, the movie in my opinion offers something classy maybe lost a little in modern films. There is something amazing to be said about the characters, plot development and storyline. The attention to detail just wow. I don't know how many times I have watched this film over the years but I can honestly say its never enough, I haven't ever gotten bored of this movie and I doubt I ever will. This is one of them all time movies if you haven't seen it yet you really should.