A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

★ 7.7 1h 44m 480 votes IMDb
Comedy Drama Fantasy Romance
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A British wartime aviator who cheats death must argue for his life before a celestial court, hoping to prolong his fledgling romance with an American girl.

A Matter of Life and Death

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Cast

David Niven
David Niven as Peter Carter Died 1983 · London, England, UK James David Graham Niven (1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983), known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles...
Kim Hunter
Kim Hunter as June Died 2002 · Detroit, Michigan, USA Kim Hunter (November 12, 1922 – September 11, 2002) was an American film, theatre, and television actress. She won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, each as Best Supporting Actress, for...
Roger Livesey
Roger Livesey as Doctor Reeves Died 1976 · Barry, Wales, UK From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Roger Livesey (25 June 1906 – 4 February 1976) was a British stage and film actor. He is most often remembered for the three Powell & Pressburger films in wh...
Marius Goring
Marius Goring as Conductor 71 Died 1998 · Newport, Isle of Wight, England, UK Marius Re Goring CBE FRSL (May 23, 1912 – September 30, 1998) was an English stage and screen actor. He is the son of Dr Charles Buckman Goring, a renowned physician and criminologist, and Kate Winifr...
Robert Coote
Robert Coote as Bob Trubshawe Died 1982 · London, England, UK From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert Coote (4 February 1909 – 26 November 1982) was an English actor. He played aristocrats or British military types in many films, and created the role of Co...
Kathleen Byron
Kathleen Byron as An Angel Died 2009 · London, England, UK Kathleen Elizabeth Fell (11 January 1921 – 18 January 2009), known professionally as Kathleen Byron, was a British actress of stage, screen and television..
Director Michael Powell
Cast David Niven, Kim Hunter, Roger Livesey, Marius Goring, Robert Coote, Kathleen Byron, Richard Attenborough, Bonar Colleano, Joan Maude, Robert Atkins

Audience Reviews

CinemaSerf 7/10 Jul 08, 2022
Jack Cardiff shows off the cinematographers art to beautiful effect in this Powell and Pressberger tale of a WWII pilot (David Niven) who cheats death, falls in love (with Kim Hunter) and then argues before a heavenly court why he should not have to die (yet) after all. The story is tinged with humour and pathos and poses some fairly basic "human rights" questions. Marius Goring - "Conductor 71" is slightly menacing and totally charming as he tries to persuade Niven to volunteer for his fate - a thankless task in itself. Roger Livesey is superb arguing for Niven with an equally impressive - if somewhat anti-English - Raymond Massey as his opponent. The stark contrast between the monochrome scenes on Earth and the vibrant colours of the celestial world bring much to this stylish, clever and at times almost dreamily presented joy.

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