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 to claim Carter's life or let him survive to wed his American sweetheart (Kim Hunter). During an ...
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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 to claim Carter's life or 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. Hal Erickson, Rovi
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Add this copy of Stairway to Heaven (Aka a Matter of Life and Death) to cart. $13.99, new condition, Sold by Importcds rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sunrise, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by General Film Distributors.
Add this copy of Stairway to Heaven (Aka a Matter of Life and Death) to cart. $14.90, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Reel Vault.
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Seller's Description:
David Niven, Kim Hunter, Robert Coote, Kathleen Byron, Richard Attenborough, Bonar Colleano, Joan Maude, Marius Goring, Roger... New. 2015 Buy with confidence-Satisfaction Guaranteed! Delivery Confirmation included for all orders in the US.
Add this copy of A Matter of Life and Death to cart. $23.91, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2017 by MR. FAT-W VIDEO.
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Seller's Description:
David Niven, Kim Hunter, Robert Coote, Kathleen Byron, Richard Attenborough, Bonar Colleano, Joan Maude. New. 1947 Run time: 91. Buy with confidence-Satisfaction Guaranteed! Delivery Confirmation included for all orders in the US.
It's a great story. Okay, it's really corny. I loved it anyway. If near death is nothing like this, this is still a really imaginative story that probably reflected the way many of our parents or grandparents from the WWII era thought of heaven. Oh, that stairway to Heaven is something to see!
cheathamg
Mar 19, 2009
A Fine Old Fantasy, of sorts
Fantasies in which the main character or characters stepped outside outside reality for a brief period used to be much more common than now. This film has the premise that the hero (David Niven) should have died but didn't, due to climatic conditions interfering with the heavenly collector. When the mistake is discovered, the collector is sent to get him. However, he doesn't want to go, having met the girl of his dreams in the interim. Niven files an appeal and a celestial tribunal is assembled. Interestingly, while the audience is willing to accept the reality of the fantasy, the film contrasts Niven's experience, i.e. talking to angels, moving back and forth between this world and the next, etc., with the idea that it may all be a psychotic break caused by a brain condition. The film is well written and well acted with a great deal of dramatic tension. It was made immediately following WW II and makes much of the concept of a new world brotherhood sweeping away the detritus of old world hatreds and fears. It is old fashioned and perhaps corny when viewed from the point of view of modern sophistication and cynicism, but if viewed with the hope and optimism held by the people who survived that conflict, It is a film of great beauty.
