Romancefest 2014: A Matter of Life and Death

Now back to the UK for A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s 1946 romantic fantasy. Everything I’ve seen from Powell and Pressburger has been impressive, and A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH is no exception.

David Niven stars as a WWII pilot who is shot down but somehow survives the crash. Turns out Conductor 71 (Marius Goring), the messenger from the afterlife sent to collect Niven, missed him in the fog. Just before crashing Niven was able to raise an American radio operator (Kim Hunter) and share what he thought were his last words were with her.

Now finding himself alive and on land, Niven runs into Hunter in the flesh and the two insantly find themselves in love. Goring visits to fill Niven in on what’s going on, but Niven appeals – why should he willingly head off to the afterlife if it’s the afterlife’s fault he’s still alive? Shouldn’t he get to continue living his life, especially now that he’s in love?

Goring reports Niven will stand trial in the afterlife, but it’s up to him to choose the person who will defend him – he has his choice of anyone in the afterlife. Meanwhile, on Earth, Hunter’s doctor friend (Livesey), fascinated by Niven’s tales of the afterlife, becomes determined to help Niven out.

Anyway, enough of the plot. It’s a good one, imaginative one, but the best things about this film are the images and the performances. Like most Powell/Pressburger films, it is shot in beautiful Technicolor – somehow these guys were able to make it look more rich and sumptuous than anyone else. The afterlife scenes are in black and white, and the sets used to demonstrate the afterlife are spectacular, the most prominent one being a gigantic staircase/escalator that’s constantly rising towards the clouds. The scene of the trial is amazing as well, especially in one shot where the camera pulls back to reveal the huge multitude of trial spectators until we pull out so far that we end up in outerspace.

Like many great movies, A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH simultaneously tells an intimate and large story. It starts off showing us the entire universe, and ends up with the love of just one man and one woman. It deals with, as the title suggests, matters of life and death, as well as presenting some arguments about the UK vs. the USA (which were important in the midst of world war).

Niven is great as the lead, affable and likable, approaching things of wonderment with a great sense of humor. Livesy is also good, projecting infectious enthusiasm as the greatest champion of Niven’s cause. Goring is hilarious as the foppish, French afterlife messenger who is at first trying to get Niven to come with him but is eventually won over by Niven’s case. And Raymond Massey makes a lot of a possibly thankless role as the American prosecutor with a giant chip on his shoulder who is determined to get Niven into the afterlife and away from his love.