A Matter of Life and Death (Stairway to Heaven) (1946)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Reid V

  
  A lament for the dead and an exquisite fairy tale for the living. I would have loved to have been a Brit in the time when this movie was released. Rarely do you see such national pride on display with such heart and such technical majesty that you forgive the moments that could be… More
  A lament for the dead and an exquisite fairy tale for the living. I would have loved to have been a Brit in the time when this movie was released. Rarely do you see such national pride on display with such heart and such technical majesty that you forgive the moments that could be seen as pro-west propaganda.

• Jonathan H

  
  Yet another magnificent, beautiful film from the Archers. I'm starting to run out of ways to properly convey the genius of Powell/Pressburger's ouerve. A Matter of Life and Death just continues to prove that their canon is truly one of cinema's greatest treasures. Their… More
  Yet another magnificent, beautiful film from the Archers. I'm starting to run out of ways to properly convey the genius of Powell/Pressburger's ouerve. A Matter of Life and Death just continues to prove that their canon is truly one of cinema's greatest treasures. Their visual imagination knows no bounds -- every frame is filled with fantastically bold compositions. The "reverse Wizard of Oz" decision to switch between the bold colors of "the real world" to the stark black and white of "the other world" is ingenious, showing us visually just how much more vibrant life can be. The final court scene is also fantastic, as the judge and jury descend the stairway to heaven to hold court over Peter (David Niven)'s operation. As customary with any Archers film, the performances are spot on (Roger Livesey being a standout), and the romantic energy of the film is endearing. A Matter of Life and Death is all about the power of love and just how important life is -- a pedestrian theme by any measure, but displayed and argued with incredible conviction. Jack Cardiff's cinematography is reason enough to watch the film alone (he puts on a clinic). The way he lights Kim Hunter's face makes her all the more beautiful, and who else can make a simple things such as a game of table tennis look exciting? And the sound design is also impeccable; the way the sound mutes at vital points was a decision way ahead of its time. This is a true classic that can restore anyone's faith in cinema. Under appreciated on its initial release and by today's audiences, which is nothing short of a tragedy.

• Cassandra M

  
  To me A Matter of Life and Death is just that- simply the best film ever made. From beginning to end it oozes class. It is stimulating, thought provoking, a mirror to the post war world and the relations between peoples. The cinematography is simply stunning and the effect of mixing… More
  To me A Matter of Life and Death is just that- simply the best film ever made. From beginning to end it oozes class. It is stimulating, thought provoking, a mirror to the post war world and the relations between peoples. The cinematography is simply stunning and the effect of mixing monochrome and Technicolour to accent the different worlds works seamlessly. The characters and plot development are near perfect and the attention to detail promotes a thoroughly believable fantasy. No matter how many times I watch the film - and I have watched it a lot - it never fails to touch me. It makes me smile, it makes me laugh, it makes me think, it makes me cry. It is as fresh today as it was in 1946. If I were allowed just one film to keep and watch again A Matter of Life and Death would be that film.

• Anthony L

  
  A really jolly good film that makes me feel proud to be British! David Niven heads a great cast in this odd but fantastic classic that has been fondly borrowed from and blatantly ripped off ever since!

• Stephen M

  
  The most beautiful, imaginative and ambitious fantasy film ever made. Everyone should see it. Originally commissioned to improve Anglo-American relations at the tail end of WWII!

• Lesley N

  
  Jolly good stiff upper lip British black and white, as David Niven argues with a heavenly court about his right to return to earth. HIs logic - an angel messed up and grabbed him too early and then he went and fell in love immediatly on the "borrowed" time he shouldn't… More
  Jolly good stiff upper lip British black and white, as David Niven argues with a heavenly court about his right to return to earth. HIs logic - an angel messed up and grabbed him too early and then he went and fell in love immediatly on the "borrowed" time he shouldn't have got. Apparently David Niven knew he was going to marry his second wife the second he first met her, so love at first sight can happen. Not sure about the celestial buraucracy though.

• Grifty G

  
  David Niven is a WWII pilot who should have died when his plane went down, and has to convince a jury in the afterlife to let him have a pass on death to stay with the new found love of his life. Some fantastic cinematography (of course) and some very inventive set pieces and… More
  David Niven is a WWII pilot who should have died when his plane went down, and has to convince a jury in the afterlife to let him have a pass on death to stay with the new found love of his life. Some fantastic cinematography (of course) and some very inventive set pieces and ahead-of-its-time special effects. Also of note, a great performance by Roger Livesey as the doctor trying to save him.

• Sarah B

  
  The only war film I will ever watch again, apart from The Great Escape. Powell and Pressburger's best film. The ultimate British film in my opinion. I love the whole idea, premise and message behind it. It was initially designed to aid relations between the Americans and the… More
  The only war film I will ever watch again, apart from The Great Escape. Powell and Pressburger's best film. The ultimate British film in my opinion. I love the whole idea, premise and message behind it. It was initially designed to aid relations between the Americans and the British, but it ended up as a heavenly (in more ways than one) argument as to which of the two nations were better. The outcome doesn't matter though. The romance between Niven's British pilot and Hunter's American communications officer becomes superfluous in the wake of the portrayal of the technicolour real world and the sepia-toned heaven, the fantastic less than angelic characters he meets, the great debate, the typically English humour and I still don't know if it was all in his head, literally, or if it was real. But that all doesn't matter, because this isn't just a film, it's a historical document, it's war propoganda, it's a symbol of the British bulldog spirit, it's an evocation of the golden age of cinema and it's a philosophical treatise on the nature of life and death. Look out for the Attenborough cameo.

• Emily B

  
  They don't make films like this anymore. David Niven is the fighter pilot who falls in love with Kim Hunter in his final few minutes, yet his angel of death misses him so he appeals for his chance to live. Earth is portrayed in rich technicolour while the afterlife is… More
  They don't make films like this anymore. David Niven is the fighter pilot who falls in love with Kim Hunter in his final few minutes, yet his angel of death misses him so he appeals for his chance to live. Earth is portrayed in rich technicolour while the afterlife is monochrome. A beautiful, ahead of it's time fantasy by Powell & Pressburger. A must see.

• Barry L

  
  I absolutely love this movie. The court case is brilliant. I would buy it if I could get my hands on it.

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