Born out of the horrors of World War II, famed British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger released A Matter of Life or Death one year after the conclusion of the hostilities. Cleverly evoking the complexities of the era, the writer/director team fuse together multiple themes that, in some way, make sense of love, life, death, Heaven and the wounds that soldiers suffered during the traumatic affair.
Beginning on a grand celestial scale, we are brought forth to an intimate, heartbreaking moment when British Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Peter Carter (David Niven), after ordering his crew to bail out (letting them know that he will soon follow), reveals to an American radio operator, June (Kim Hunter), that his plane is crashing and he has no parachute. His smooth vocals, grievous situation and stiff upper lip attitude leave the woman distraught, and the two fall in love by way of the irregular circumstance. Leaving his dead friend Bob (Robert Coote) on the plane, Carter leaps into the pea soup thick fog just off the English coastline.
Filmed in glorious Technicolor, we soon find ourselves watching in monochromatic black and white as the man who was dead on the plane waits for his friend in Heaven (it is a unique creative choice that is thought provoking – reversing what would be typical – very much the opposite of something like The Wizard of Oz). Learning that there was a mistake, Heaven tries to rectify the problem by sending Conductor 71 (Marius Goring – playing a French dandy to a tee) – who missed Carter in the impenetrable haze, down to Earth to advise him of the error.
In the meantime, Carter has found June on the beach, falling madly in love with the woman. When the Conductor arrives, stopping time in its place, Carter uses common sense and logic to defend his right to continue to live on Earth. Dumbfounded by the situation, 71 leaves to gather more information on the abnormal situation.
Though, when Carter tells June about the fantastical tale, she worries about his sanity. Setting up a meeting with her dear friend Doctor Reeves (Roger Livesey), the man is fascinated by the bizarre case. Taking it on, he must carefully tread a narrow path to convince his patient that he believes what he is saying, while also trying to rectify the complex ailment. Soon, the Conductor returns to tell him that there will be a trial which will allow him to appeal the happening. Reeves, understanding the labyrinthine power of the mind, forcefully tells the Squadron Leader to fight for his life (and find a worthwhile advocate in Heaven for his case).
By a twist of fate, Carter finds the perfect counsel to defend him. Will Carter be able to change his predestined death, surviving both the trial and his upcoming surgery, or will he fail to convince the jury, losing his life and a chance at fated love?
Like their other works (The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus), Powell and Pressburger are some of the best visual storytellers in cinematic history. A Matter of Life and Death utilizes striking, vivid Technicolor to depict a world that is full of life. The unlikely couple’s love is perfectly encapsulated by the bright flowers, striking ocean blues and the rest of the beauty found in this colourful world. Heaven, with its stringent routines and organized rules, is fittingly pictured in greys – when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. The scope and span of the visuals are sometimes hard to fathom. From magical transitions that move from the inside of a closing eye, through the brain and into the foggy black and whites of Heaven, to the celestial court, that when we are finally given a full perspective, is a breathtaking spiralling galaxy, each magnificent artistic selection leaves us in awe. There are also skylights that impressively gaze down, observation windows looking upon the Earth below. Then there is the escalator-like staircase to Heaven, a grand depiction of the world-building these two great filmmakers were able to achieve.
Though the film is a visual beauty, it would lack something if it was not perfectly cast. Thankfully, it was. Niven is charming, debonair, and sophisticated, yet is also able to capture the intricacies of his otherworldly situation; the pain and passion needed to fight for the love he feels he deserves a chance at. The then unknown Hunter (perhaps now best remembered for playing Zira from The Planet of the Apes movies), was recommended to Powell by Hitchcock, as she had helped perform screen tests for his film Notorious. The two met face to face, and Powell immediately knew that he had the perfect American every-woman. Together, Niven and Hunter make an infectious couple in the midst of young love. Livesey is much more than a third wheel, giving an impassioned performance as the genial and brilliant Doctor. I must also highlight that a young Richard Attenborough (Jurassic Park) makes a brief appearance in the film, playing an English Pilot whose only line is “It’s Heaven, isn’t it?”.
A Matter of Life and Death (also known as Stairway to Heaven in the United States – they didn’t want the word ‘death’ in a movie’s title so soon after the war) is similar in many ways to It’s a Wonderful Life – funnily enough, they were released less than one month apart from each other. Similarly, J.K. Rowling has said that this is her favourite film. For those of you who know the books and movies, this provides us with a guidepost as to how she formulated her thoughts as the series comes to a close (you will likely see many similarities between this film and the powerful sequence where Potter and Dumbledore discuss comparable themes at King’s Cross station in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2). Rowling is not the only fan – Martin Scorsese and Michael Sheen are two others who love this picture. So, take some time to look toward the heavens to discover why this film matters.