A Matter of Life and Death
A Matter of Life and Death DVD Cover
Directed by	Michael Powell Emeric Pressburger
Produced by	Michael Powell Emeric Pressburger
Written by	Michael Powell Emeric Pressburger
Starring	David Niven Kim Hunter Roger Livesey Raymond Massey Marius Goring Richard Attenborough
Music by	Allan Gray
Cinematography	Jack Cardiff
Editing by	Reginald Mills
Distributed by	Eagle-Lion Distributors
Release date(s)	November 1, 1946 UK December 25, 1946 USA
Running time	104 min
Language	English
Budget	£320,000 (estimated)
IMDb profile

A Matter of Life and Death (1946) is a film by the British writer-director-producer team of Powell and Pressburger. The US title was Stairway to Heaven, which was derived from the film's most prominent special effect: a broad escalator linking the other world and Earth. Reversing the convention of The Wizard of Oz, the supernatural scenes are in black-and-white, while the Earthly ones are in Technicolor. Michael Powell film-maker. ... Emeric Pressburger in Paris. ... David Niven portrayed the original Sir James Bond in the 007 spoof Casino Royale James David Graham Niven (David Niven) (March 1, 1910 – July 29, 1983), was an Academy Award-winning English actor. ... Kim Hunter (b. ... Roger Livesey as Clive Candy, in the duel scene from Colonel Blimp. ... Raymond Massey photographed by Carl Van Vechten Raymond Hart Massey (August 30, 1896 – July 29, 1983) was a Canadian actor. ... Marius Goring (May 23, 1912 - September 30, 1998) was a British stage and cinema actor. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Jack Cardiff (born 18 September 1914) is a British cinematographer, director and photographer. ... English editor Reginald Mills (1915 - 1990) graducated from Cambridge University with a degree in modern languages in 1934. ... Eagle Lion Films was a British film company that merged with PRC Pictures in the 1940s. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... See also: 1945 in film 1946 1947 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America The Bells of St. ... December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 6 days remaining for the year. ... See also: 1945 in film 1946 1947 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America The Bells of St. ... See also: 1945 in film 1946 1947 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America The Bells of St. ... Powell and Pressburger were a British film-making partnership of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, also known as The Archers. ... Special effects (abbreviated SPFX or SFX) are used in the film, television, and entertainment industry to create effects that cannot be achieved by normal means, such as depicting travel to other star systems. ... Escalators at Canary Wharf, London. ... For the novel, see The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; For comparison of book and film, see The Wizard of Oz book to film comparison; For other senses of this title, see The Wizard of Oz. ... Black-and-white or black and white) can refer to a general term used in photography, film, and other media (see black-and-white). ... Logo celebrating Technicolors 90th Anniversary. ...

Plot

Squadron Leader Peter Carter (David Niven) is a British World War II Royal Air Force pilot trying to nurse a badly damaged and burning Lancaster bomber home after a mission in May 1945. His crew has already bailed out, but Carter's parachute has been shot up. He manages to get in touch with June (Kim Hunter), an American radio operator based in England, and carries on a tender conversation with her in the few minutes before he is forced to jump without a useable parachute. A Squadron Leaders sleeve/shoulder insignia Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in some air forces. ... David Niven portrayed the original Sir James Bond in the 007 spoof Casino Royale James David Graham Niven (David Niven) (March 1, 1910 – July 29, 1983), was an Academy Award-winning English actor. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Avro Lancaster was a four-engine World War II bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force (RAF). ... Kim Hunter (b. ...

Peter should have died at that time, but doesn't because of a mistake on the part of Conductor 71 (Marius Goring), the guide sent from the "other world" to collect him. They miss each other in the thick fog over the English Channel. Instead, Peter wakes up the next day on a beach near June's base, completely bewildered at still being alive. Marius Goring (May 23, 1912 - September 30, 1998) was a British stage and cinema actor. ... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: La Manche (IPA: ), the sleeve) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ...

Squadron Leader Peter Carter (David Niven), wakes up on a strange beach.

Peter meets June who is cycling back from her night shift; the pair fall in love. Conductor 71 (a French aristocrat executed during the French Revolution) appears to Peter, stopping time to explain the situation and to convince him to accept his fate. Peter refuses and demands that the matter be put to a trial. David Niven in A Matter of Life and Death. ... David Niven in A Matter of Life and Death. ... David Niven portrayed the original Sir James Bond in the 007 spoof Casino Royale James David Graham Niven (David Niven) (March 1, 1910 – July 29, 1983), was an Academy Award-winning English actor. ... The French Revolution (1789–1799/1804) was a vital period in the history of French, European and Western civilization. ...

On Earth, Peter's visions of Conductor 71 are diagnosed by June's fascinated friend Doctor Reeves (Roger Livesey) as a symptom of a rapidly progressing brain injury - chronic adhesive arachnoiditis from a concussion two years earlier - and he is scheduled for surgery. Reeves' death in a motorcycle accident makes him available to plead Peter's case, arguing that, through no fault of his own, he has fallen in love and now has an Earthly commitment which should take precedence over Heaven's claim on his soul. Roger Livesey as Clive Candy, in the duel scene from Colonel Blimp. ... Arachnoiditis describes a pain disorder caused by the inflammation of the arachnoid, one of the membranes that surround and protect the nerves of the spinal cord. ...

The matter comes to a head - mirroring the outcome of the contemporaneous brain surgery - before a celestial court of the whole population of the afterlife - the camera zooms out from an amphitheatre to reveal that it is as large as a spiral galaxy. The prosecutor is American Abraham Farlan (Raymond Massey), who hates the British for causing his death in the American Revolutionary War. Reeves and Farlan call witnesses from history to give evidence. In the end, Reeves has June take the stand (she is made to fall asleep in the "real" world by Conductor 71) and proves that she genuinely loves Peter by telling her that the only way to save his life is to take his place. She steps onto the stairway without hesitation and it begins carrying her away, leaving Peter behind. Then the stairway comes to an abrupt halt and June rushes back to Peter's welcoming arms. Nothing in the universe is more powerful than the law; but on Earth, nothing is more powerful than love. The Colosseum in Rome, Italy. ... A spiral galaxy is a type of galaxy in the Hubble sequence which is characterized by the following physical properties: Spiral Galaxy M74 presents a face-on view of its spiral arms. ... Raymond Massey photographed by Carl Van Vechten Raymond Hart Massey (August 30, 1896 – July 29, 1983) was a Canadian actor. ... Combatants American Revolutionaries, France, Dutch Republic, Spain, American Indians Great Britain, German mercenaries, Loyalists, American Indians Commanders George Washington, Comte de Rochambeau, Nathanael Greene, Bernardo de Gálvez Sir William Howe, Sir Henry Clinton, Lord Cornwallis (more commanders) The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War... HIStory: Past, Present and Future – Book I is a two-disc album by Michael Jackson released in 1995 by the Epic Records division of Sony BMG. The first disc (HIStory Begins) is a fifteen-track greatest hits (later released as Greatest Hits - HIStory Volume I), while the second disc (HIStory...

Analysis

It is interesting to note that, while the film never specifically states whether Peter's visions are real, the actor playing the judge also plays the brain surgeon. There are other dual roles but attention is deliberately drawn to the judge/surgeon.

There is no explicit reference to "the other world" as Heaven. The word is only used twice, in one conversation, where it may be taken as an adjective. Powell and Pressburger objected to the American distributor's renaming it as Stairway to Heaven, but had to put up with it. The distributor believed that American audiences wouldn't want to see a film with the word "Death" in the title, especially just after World War II.

Trivia

• In 2004 the magazine Total Film named A Matter of Life and Death the 2nd greatest British film ever made in a poll of 25 film critics. It was beaten only by Get Carter.

• The film was chosen for the first ever Royal Film Performance on November 1, 1946 in aid of the Cinematograph Trade Benevolent Fund. It then went into general release in the UK on December 30, 1946. It premiered in New York City on December 25, 1946 and in Los Angeles on January 23, 1947.

• The architecture of the other world is noticeably modernist; vast and open plan, with huge circular observation holes beneath which the clouds of Earth can be seen. This vision was later the inspiration for the design of a bus station in Walsall, England, by architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, and the film's amphitheatre court scene was rendered by BT in an TV advertisement in about 2002 as a metaphor for communication technology, especially the Internet.

• The initial American release cut the scenes showing a naked young goatherd, but this is usually included in most versions available today, even those which are still titled Stairway to Heaven.

• The film was originally suggested by the British Government to improve relations between the Americans in the UK and the British public. There was a general groundswell of hostility against the American servicemen stationed in the UK for the invasion of Europe. They were viewed as latecomers to the war and as "overpaid, oversexed and over here" by a public that had suffered three years of bombing and rationing, with many of their own men fighting abroad. The premise of the film being a simple inversion, the English pilot gets the pretty American woman, rather than the other way round, and that the only national bigotry is voiced by the first American casualty of the Revolutionary War against the English.

2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the magazine as a published medium. ... Total Film, published by Future Publishing, is the United Kingdoms second best-selling film magazine, after the longer-established Empire from Emap. ... Get Carter is a 1971 British crime film, directed by Mike Hodges and starring Michael Caine as Jack Carter, a gangster who sets out to avenge the death of his brother. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... See also: 1945 in film 1946 1947 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America The Bells of St. ... December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 1 day remaining. ... See also: 1945 in film 1946 1947 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America The Bells of St. ... Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Manhattan Queens Brooklyn Staten Island Settled 1613 Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 6 days remaining for the year. ... See also: 1945 in film 1946 1947 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America The Bells of St. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... // Events May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York. ... This article focuses on the cultural movement labeled modernism or the modern movement. See also: Modernism (Roman Catholicism) or Modernist Christianity; Modernismo for specific art movement(s) in Spain and Catalonia. ... New Art Gallery Walsall Walsall is an industrial town in the West Midlands of England. ... BT Group plc (also known as British Telecommunications plc) which trades as BT (and previously as British Telecom) is the privatised UK state telecommunications operator. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

Literature

• Eric Warman (1946). A Matter of Life and Death. London: World Film Publications.
• Ian Christie (1994). Arrows of Desire: the films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. London: Faber & Faber, 163pp (illus. filmog. bibliog. index). ISBN 0-571-16271-1.
• Ian Christie (2000). A Matter of Life and Death. London: British Film Institute. ISBN 0-85170-479-4.

Michael Powell film-maker. ... Emeric Pressburger in Paris. ... The British Film Institute (BFI) is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and...

External links

• A Matter of Life and Death at the Internet Movie Database
• A Matter of Life and Death at the BFI's Screenonline. Full synopsis and film stills (and clips viewable from UK libraries).
• Bus to Paradise, a review of the AMOLAD Heaven inspired Walsall Bus Station.
• and articles at the Powell & Pressburger Pages
• Trailer at Virgin.net

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about actors, films, television shows, television stars, video games and production crew personnel. ... The British Film Institute (BFI) is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and... screenonline is a website devoted to the history of British film and television, and to social history as revealed by film and television. ...

	Powell and Pressburger The films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
1930s	The Spy in Black | The Lion Has Wings
1940s	Contraband | An Airman's Letter to His Mother | Forty-Ninth Parallel | One of Our Aircraft is Missing | The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp | The Volunteer | A Canterbury Tale | I Know Where I'm Going! | A Matter of Life and Death | Black Narcissus | The Red Shoes | The Small Back Room
1950s	The Elusive Pimpernel | Gone to Earth | The Tales of Hoffmann | Oh... Rosalinda!! | The Battle of the River Plate | Ill Met by Moonlight
1960s	Peeping Tom (not Pressburger) | They're a Weird Mob | Age of Consent
1970s	The Boy Who Turned Yellow