A Matter of Life and Death (1946) PART 1

PLAYLIST: http://www.youtube.com/user/littleiceage#grid/user/5D3B52E7BA804720

★★★★★ (All Movie Guide):

Also known as Stairway to Heaven, A Matter of Life and Death is the remarkable British fantasy film that became the surprise hit of 1946. David Niven stars as Peter Carter, a World War II RAF pilot who is forced to bail out of his crippled plane without a parachute. He wakes up to find he has landed on Earth utterly unharmed...which wasn't supposed to happen according to the rules of Heaven. A celestial court argues over whether or not to claim Carter's life or to let him survive to wed his American sweetheart (Kim Hunter). During an operation, in which Carter hovers between life and death, he dreams that his spirit is on trial, with God (Abraham Sofaer) as judge and Carter's recently deceased best friend (Roger Livesey) as defense counsel. The film tries to have it both ways by suggesting that the heavenly scenes are all a product of Carter's imagination, but the audience knows better. Among the curious but effective artistic choices in A Matter of Life and Death was the decision to film the earthbound scenes in Technicolor and the Heaven sequences in black-and-white. The film was a product of the adventuresome team known as "The Archers": Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• matter
• of
• life
• and
• death
• david
• niven
• kim
• hunter
• powell
• pressburger
• raymond
• massey
• 1946

[efc23]

A feel good film, made just after the war.This was what awaited all the brave souls who were killed in the war.

Probably helped.........maybe still does.

Sure takes the sting out of death, if you got to meet any one from history.....mind you just to meet your parents again........!

[Northside777]

A wonderful, profound film with touches of humor. Highly imaginative.

[friendlier]

Bizarre and beautiful. And restored wonderfully. Powell-Pressburger at their best.

[Flickchaser]

@littleiceage-Thanks for this post. Your YT name is familiar...now I remember!! You are the one who did the French translation into Eng. for the Simone Signoret interview. I only caught a few minutes of(A matter of Life and Death) years ago,now I get to finish it!!

[copnite12342]

i love kim hunter.

[spencerkicksass]

@lorrainewands; @tomes55moon

I'm also 25 and i watch this movie whenever i want to be reminded of my childhood! :D

[pugilistofpower]

@TheShrek68 It shouldn't. It was doing the opposite of The Wizard of Oz in many ways, but it was also showing how Earth and life was the more desirable option than death.

[TheShrek68]

@Northside777 why did the earth have to be in color and heaven in black and white it should of been the other way around lol

[lorrainewands]

@tomes55moon I'm right there with you: raised on this sort of thing and only 25.

[tomes55moon]

A-mazing film, reminds me of my childhood, and i'm only 25!

[hmstitanic]

Thank you so much!