A Matter of Life and Death / Stairway to Heaven
1946
***
Director: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Cast: David Niven, Roger Livesey, Kim Hunter, Marius Goring, Raymond Massey, Robert Coote, Kathleen Byron
During WW2 a British airman cheats certain death. When the administrators in heaven discover the error, they return to claim his life, but in the meanwhile he has fallen in love with an American air controller. This well-loved romantic fantasy is memorable for its otherwordly visuals and lavish production design which have stood the test of time. There is a massive stairway to heaven, and Powell and Pressburger reverse the colour scheme of The Wizard of Oz by showing heaven in black and white and reality in Technicolor. Some of the story elements, like the dubious lightning romance or the overlong climactic trial which revolves around obsolescent transatlantic relations, haven't dated as gracefully. Up to the final minutes it is actually unclear whether the whole thing is playing out in the pilot's head, but the ending sadly put a stop to this ambiguity. All in all, however, this is a wildly ambitious and delightfully odd film.
