A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

Heaven, as a John Martin landscape

Directed by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Written by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Starring David Niven, Kim Hunter, Roger Livesey, Raymond Massey



"When I saw that Archers logo at the start, I knew I'd be watching something special".  The young Martin Scorsese understood when he was on to a good thing - The Archers, those arrows thudding into the target, meant a film written and directed by Powell and Pressburger (and usually shot by the peerless Jack Cardiff), and special isn't the half of it.  Did they ever make a bad film?  Did they ever make a merely-alright film, for that matter?  The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, The Spy In Black, One of Our Aircraft is Missing, Ill Met By Moonlight, and, of course, A Matter of Life and Death.

The consistency of the partnership was astonishing, and it's a dreadful shame that for so long (although happily no longer) their films were largely ignored, shoved to one side, all because of the controversy over Powell's brilliant but disturbing Peeping Tom.  It's true that that picture (telling the story of a murderer who gets his kicks filming the last, anguished expressions of his victims) was bleak, troubling, and not at all what was expected of such a scion of the British establishment - and also a superbly directed and constructed movie, which shouldn't be forgotten - but nothing should have been allowed to overshadow the career of one of this country's finest filmmakers, nor of his Hungarian associate.  The eventual rehabilitation of Powell and Pressburger, led by Scorsese and Robert De Niro, was long overdue and very much deserved.

And in the middle of their partnership, we find A Matter of Life and Death.  There's a clear difference between this picture and most of their output, thrillers with a strong psychological edge (such as The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, The Spy in Black).  Instead, we have a beautiful film, romantic, funny, elegant, inventive, charming.  David Niven couldn't be better suited to the part - I mean, seriously, upper-middle-class RAF hero, writes poetry, romantic lead, who else are you going to cast? - and everything else that's wonderful about the picture grows from there.  Everything else that's wonderful, by the way, being an awful lot - particularly the cinematography.  The contrast between the black and white, clean, elegant style of heaven and the bright, rich colours of earth is striking and works perfectly; heaven is graceful, earth is passionate.  Both are gorgeous.

There's really nothing about this film that isn't delightful.  But it's important to recognise that there's more to the movie than just being lovely from start to finish - it is very inventive, a superbly crafted and unique drama, involving and engaging and always sure to keep you hoping for Niven, Livesey and Hunter to succeed, and to suggest that it's no more than a wonderfully charming romance is missing the point completely.  It is wonderfully charming, it is romantic, but it's also powerful, innovative, and artful.  Frankly, it's a masterpiece.