dwrdnrth I love this film. My father flew bombers in the RAF during WWII and told me the sequence at the beginning was the most realistic representation of a damaged aeroplane in flight he had seen in film. Having said that this is not a war film, it is a charming tale of love, friendship, life and, of course, death. David Niven is his usual convincing self but he doesn't dominate the film in which he stars. (Though it must have been his influence that caused one character to be named Trubshaw.) Roger Livesey, Kim Hunter, and the excellent Raymond Massey make this a rounded film with their portrayals of developed characters. It is beautifully filmed, Kim Hunter's bicycle ride along the beach somehow enchants me. It is a good tale well told and acted. I highly recommend it.

charlesem Fantasy, especially in British hands, can easily go twee, and though Powell and Pressburger had surer hands than most, A Matter of Life and Death (released in the United States as Stairway to Heaven, long before Led Zeppelin) still manages occasionally to tip over toward whimsy. There is, for example, the naked boy playing a flute while herding goats, the doctor's rooftop camera obscura from which he spies on the villagers, and the production of A Midsummer Night's Dream being rehearsed by recovering British airmen, all of which are freighted with symbolism. And there's Marius Goring's simpering Frenchman, carrying on as no French aristocrat, even one guillotined during the Reign of Terror, ever did. Many find this hodgepodge delicious, and A Matter of Life and Death is still one of the most beloved of British movies, at least in Britain. I happen to be among those who find it a bit too much, but I can readily appreciate many things about it, including Jack Cardiff's Technicolor cinematography. On the whole, it seems to me too heavily freighted with message -- Love Conquers Even Death -- to be successful, but it must have been a soothing message to a world recovering from a war. (charlesmatthews.blogspot.com)

avik-basu1889 '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'.

framptonhollis Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger are the team behind "The Red Shoes", "Black Narcissus". "The Tales of Hoffman", "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp", and this masterwork. They're famous filmmakers for many reasons, one of those reasons including how they used Technicolor in a lot of their films. In this film, both Technicolor and black and white are used. Any scene shot in Technicolor takes place in the real world, any black and white scene takes place in the afterlife.The film is very clever in it's portrayal of the afterlife, and has a lot of fun with the idea. It is creative and very fascinating to watch, and these sequences are the best parts of the whole movie!The rest of the film is quite wonderful, as well. It is clever, romantic, dramatic, and full of twists and turns in an already creative and incredible storyline.Not only is the execution and intelligence of this film amazing, but, on a technical level it is, without a doubt, one of the most technically amazing films of all time. The Powell Pressburger team experiment with using dutch angles, freeze frames, and plenty of other wonderful special effects, including a shot from behind a human eye as it closes.The film is great on every level. It is clever and creative, romantic and heartwarming, beautiful and visually stunning, and just, overall, a really great film!