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PLOT
SUMMARY: A MATTER OF LIFE and DEATH
Returning
to England from a bombing run in May 1945, flyer Peter Carter's
plane is damaged and his parachute ripped to shreds. He has his
crew bail out safely, but figures it is curtains for himself. He
gets on the radio, and talks to June, a young American woman
working for the RAF, and they are quite moved by each other's
voices. Then he jumps, preferring this to burning up with his
plane. He wakes up in the surf. It was his time to die, but there
was a mixup in heaven. They couldn't find him in all that fog. By
the time his "Conductor" catches up with him 20 hours
later, Peter and June have met and fallen in love. This changes
everything, and since it happened through no fault of his own,
Peter figures that heaven owes him a second chance. Heaven agrees
to a trial to decide his fate.
Kim
Hunter and David Niven in A Matter of Life and Death
It's
night over Europe, the night of the 2nd of May 1945. A crippled
Lancaster Bomber struggles home across the English Channel, all
crew dead save for the young pilot desperately scanning the
radio for signs for life.
His prayers are answered. June, a young radio operator, picks up
his signal, and in the final moments of the young flyer's life,
a special bond is formed.
The next morning, washed up on an English beach, Squadron Leader
Peter Carter is alive, he finds June, and the two fall
hopelessly in love. Somehow he survived. It's a miracle... or is
it?
Peter Carter should have died that night; a heavenly escort
missed him in the fog above the channel, and now he must face
the celestial court of appeal for his right to live.
COMMENT
The Archers' first collaboration to be released after WWII was a
fantastic tale of Peter (David Niven, excellent), an airman who
jumps from his plane without a parachute and miraculously
survives as the heavenly conductor misses him in the fog. The
beginning scenes talk about the universe before we actually meet
Peter, and June (Kim Hunter, effective here), an American radio
operator who is the last person he talks to before his descent,
and who he meets shortly after he realises he has survived.
We see a bureaucratic Heaven, photographed in monochrome, where
Peter's non-arrival is noted with irritation and the French fop
conductor (an endearingly OTT performance by Marius Goring) is
dispatched to search for him. What follows is a hugely
entertaining film which uses some interesting tricks, notably
freezing the action in some parts of scenes so other parts can
carry on, and using rich colour for the 'reality' scenes.
Peter's meetings with the heavenly conductor are put down to
mental instability by June and her doctor friend, Dr Reeves (the
wonderful Roger Livesey, in one of his best roles). He needs a
brain operation, which runs consecutively with his 'appeal' in
Heaven. Powell and Pressburger's richly imaginative film was an
odd choice for the Royal Film Performance in '46, but I'm sure
it was enjoyed as much by its contemporary audience as it is
now.
A
Matter of Life and Death - Roger Livesey
Imaginative
A tour-de-force of imaginative film making and directing.
Brilliantly inventive and constantly surprising. One of the best
films ever made. This is Powell and Pressburger at their best,
using theatricality to encourage us to suspend disbelief then
using film to push well beyond the bounds of theatre - expanding
our horizons and making possible other visionary works such as
2001.
- This is a great film, not only because it encapsulates the
perfect image of the English village, but because it is
beautifully directed and features ground-breaking effects for
the time. In addition, it features two fine actors in David
Niven and the under-rated Roger Livesey. It is a rarity these
days - a film that both adults and children alike will enjoy
with a timeless innocence that, unfortunately, seems to be gone
forever. This is a film that I originally saw 20 years ago as a
small child. It has been in the back of my mind for that time
and I have often looked at the future films on TV to check
whether it would be on.
Exceptional movie
Why is this movie not in the 250 best? This movie looks still
astoundingly fresh 56 years after its production but it could
only have been made at the aftermath of W.W.II because of the
perception of the nearness of death. People were more aware that
life could be stopped at one unexpected moment. And what after
life? I liked the scene at the end with the judgment and all
people of all nations gathered. The phlegmatic judge (Abraham
Sofaer-a typical British judge-), Doctor Reeves (Roger Livesey)
defending Peter Carter (David Niven) and also June (Kim Hunter)
against the American prosecutor Abraham Farlan (Raymond Massey I
-there is a reason why it is an American-). It is all so
imaginative! Michael Powell wrote, directed and produced this
astonishing movie which is a real "tour-de-force". The
message of the movie is clear: in the universe the law is the
most important but on earth nothing goes beyond the love between
humans. The way in which this beautiful story is told is far
more interesting than any Hollywood-movie could ever make.
Just the very best
To think this was made at the end of the worlds worst conflict
is the more amazing when everyone was wanting escapist
entertainment. It's re-affirmation of love and life is timeless
and everything in it is mind-blowing and awesome, and yet
despite the huge sets and effects the actors shine
magnificently.
Stairway
to Heaven - David Nven and Marius Goring
TRIVIA
It
was during a visit to Hollywood in 1945 that director Michael
Powell decided to cast the then-unknown Kim Hunter as June, the
American servicewoman, largely upon the recommendation of Alfred
Hitchcock, who had done a series of screen tests of actors
and actresses auditioning for parts in his upcoming production,
Notorious (1946). The trouble was that in these tests, Hunter
was not seen but, rather, heard off-camera, feeding lines and
cues to the actors Hitchcock was actually testing. But Hitchcock
assured Powell that he would arrange a "face-to-face"
with Hunter and her agent, so that he could see for himself
whether she fit the requirements of the "all-American"
girl Powell had envisioned opposite David Niven. And upon first
encountering Hunter, Powell agreed with Hitchcock that she
indeed was a perfect choice for the role.
Runtime: 100 min. full and uncut.
Country: UK
Language: English
Color: Black and White / Color (Technicolor)
A
Matter of Life and Death dvd cover
(Stairway
to Heaven)
LINKS
and REFERENCE
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- Z ACTORS INDEX
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