Through their production company the archers, they together wrote, produced and directed a series of classic british films, notably 49th parallel 1941, the life and death of colonel blimp 1943, a matter of life and death 1946, also called stairway to heaven, black narcissus 1947, the red shoes 1948, and the tales of hoffmann 1951. Intended to smooth tensions between the wartime allies britain and america, michael powell and emeric pressburgers richly humanistic a matter of life and death traverses time and space to make a case for the transcendent value of love. Retrovision theater presents a matter of life and death. To me a matter of life and death is just that simply the best film ever made. May 30, 2015 david niven wants another chance at love after he is misplaced on his way to heaven. I cant quite believe a film like this was produced so long ago. A matter of life and death film culture wikia fandom. It hasnt been seen on television for 20 years so few people are even aware of its existence. A matter of life and death is a film directed by michael powell, emeric pressburger with david niven, kim hunter, roger livesey, raymond massey, year. Watch a matter of life and death online bfi player. Oct 27, 2000 christie explores the origins of a matter of life and death, discusses its attitudes toward time and how the film uses color. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the enter key is pressed.
In 2004, a matter of life and death was named the second greatest british film ever made, etc. David niven plays peter carter, a young airman seemingly doomed before his time and trapped between life and death, between a technicolor earth and a monochrome heaven. It is the first wallace and gromit short since a close shave in 1995. A matter of life and death is a 1946 british fantasyromance film set in england during the second world war. It seems to me that your first introduction to the work of the archers often ends up becoming a lifelong favourite. Gestapos most wanted french resistance documentary timeline duration. Neither heaven nor earth could keep them apart when a young airman miraculously survives bailing out of his aeroplane without a parachute, he falls in love with an american radio operator.
With its melodrama, romance and endofwar spectral visions, the powell and pressburger film baffled. To love the films of michael powell and emeric pressburger, among the. Christie explores the origins of a matter of life and death, discusses its attitudes toward time and how the film uses color. Briefed by the ministry of information to make a film that would foster. Written, produced and directed by michael powell and emeric pressburger, the film stars david niven, roger livesey, raymond massey, kim hunter and marius goring. Timeline world history documentaries recommended for you. A matter of life and death friday, december 29 thursday, january 5 urgent text new 4k restoration directed by michael powell and emeric pressburger starring david niven and kim hunter 1946 approx. Matter of life and death idioms by the free dictionary. In 2004, a matter of life and death was named the second greatest british film ever made by the magazine total film in a poll of 25 film critics,1 behind only get carter. Sep 04, 2017 for this spoiler alert episode, we field a request from patreon donor travis neely, who invited us to take a look at the 1946 british fantasy film a matter of life and death initially released in the united states as stairway to heaven. As he prepares himself for death he confides his innermost secrets to a radio operator. David niven wants another chance at love after he is misplaced on his way to heaven.
A matter of life and death is an astonishing piece of cinema. A matter of loaf and death is a 2008 british stopmotion animated film created by nick park, and the fourth of his shorts to star his characters wallace and gromit. An airman who fails to survive a warime crash finds himself so besotted with the american air controller who was trying to guide him in safely that he is. Squadron leader peter carter is alone in a blazing. A matter of life and death is a 1946 british fantasy romance film set in england during the second world war.
Its a fantasy love story, imaginative to the point of being hallucinatory, one of the most outthere pictures of the last century. The film was originally released in the united states under the title stairway to heaven, which derived from the film s. Jul 24, 2018 in those terms, a matter of life and death is the quintessential powellpressburger movie. A matter of life and death 1946 is a romantic fantasy film created by the british writingdirectingproducing team of michael powell and emeric pressburger, and set in england during the second world war. A matter of life and death 2008, directed by michael powell. But the officials in the other world realise their mistake, and despatch an angel to collect him.
Briefed by the ministry of information to make a film that would foster angloamerican relations in the postwar period, innovative filmmakers michael powell and emeric pressburger came up with a matter of life and death, an extravagant and extraordinary fantasy in which david niven stars as a downed pilot who must justify his continuing existence to a heavenly panel because he has made the. This movie s bizarre premise was based on an actual event. The film also works as a sly satire on angloamerican relations at the end of wwii. A matter of life and death is presented in reasonably sharp 4. A matter of life and death is, among other things, a mystical film. A matter of life and death official trailer 4k restoration youtube. Cage in the park, half dome, crawl, the farewell, being funny, a matter of life and death. Released in the us as stairway to heaven and presented in a major new restoration, this classic romance from michael powell and emeric pressburger stars david niven as a british pilot who crashes into the channel, only to survive and fall in love with american soldier kim hunter. The film was originally released in the united states under the title. It was originally commissioned as one of the last films funded by the ministry of information with the intention of serving as an entertaining comedy about some of the baggage concerning angloamerican.
It was originally commissioned as one of the last films. A matter of life and death 2008, directed by michael. The movie, which is being revived at the music box in a restored technicolor print of dazzling beauty, joins the continuing retrospective at the film center of 15 other films by michael powell and emeric pressburger, the most talented british. A matter of life and death is, among other things, a mystical film about what we have come to know as ptsd.
Mar 26, 2012 this means that the death naremore refers to has to be the death of an emotion or ideaeven if, as the films offscreen narration implies, its also the birth of a dream, a robots dream. A matter of life and death is a rare picture in many ways. I especially liked his examination of the film s historical context, namely how although it was inspired by wwii issues, it was still relevant when it came out in the early years of the cold war. Niven claimed the same of all the movies in which he starred. A matter of life and death film, a 1946 powell and pressburger film starring david niven released as stairway to.
Iron maidens legacy of the beast tour is the pinnacle of heavymetal escapism. The film stars david niven, roger livesey, raymond massey, kim hunter and marius goring. Michael ellison met her in new york to talk about the revival of her husbands a matter of life and death stabbings in the dark peeping tom was the film that buried michael powells career. You can tell from the quality and pacing that this is a michael powell and emeric pressburger movie. Set in a gorgeously photographed technicolor england and a monochrome heaven, a matter of life and death took the imaginative daring of jointly credited writerproducerdirectors michael powell and emeric pressburger to new heights. A matter of loaf and death is a murder mystery, with wallace and gromit starting a new bakery business. A matter of life and death 1946 tt0038733 when a young airman miraculously survives bailing out of his aeroplane without a parachute, he falls in love with an american radio operator. Perhaps it could be regarded as an artificial and manufactured footnote to the human race, a. A matter of life and death is a selfconsciously shakespearean comedy of sorts, and a lurid experiment in cinematic colour and scenography. Stairwaya matter of life and death, straddles a romance and a post war political film designed to help show the value of american values in a post war britain. A matter of life and death 1946 british movie poster. It is stimulating, thought provoking, a mirror to the post war world and the.
Also known as stairway to heaven, a matter of life and death is the remarkable british fantasy film that became the surprise hit of 1946. We go stand in a queue before being assigned a mundane job in heaven. A matter of life and death meaning in the cambridge. This is a question at the heart of powell and pressburgers classic, a matter of life and death. Powell and pressburger are at their most imaginative and controversial in this film, starring david niven. A matter of life and death is a 1946 british fantasyromance film written, produced and directed by michael powell and emeric pressburger, and set in england during the second world war. Its very much a film of its time and yet the themes are universal.
All credit goes to joe mazzello and whoever else is listed in. Perhaps it could be regarded as an artificial and manufactured footnote to the human race, a sort of ghostly echo. One of the greatest triumphs of the writingdirectingproducing team of michael powell. Stairway to heaven 1946 is one of the most audacious films ever made in its grandiose vision, and in the cozy english way its expressed. British movie poster image for a matter of life and death 1946. A matter of life and death is an extraordinary film that combines drama, fantasy and romance in a wonderful ambiguous story. The lines and dialogs are impressive, with citations of philosophers and historic events, and it is never possible to know whether peters destiny was decided in this or in. A matter of life and death 1946 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
The image measures 580 911 pixels and is 209 kilobytes large. A matter of life and death 1946 the criterion collection. A matter of life and death 1946 a matter of life and. After jumping out of the plane he miraculously survives, meets the woman. A matter of life and death is a visually extraordinary film. First saw it when i was about ten years old, and watched it last week at fifty. Returning to england from a bombing run in may 1945, flyer peter carters plane is damaged and his parachute ripped to shreds.
Dec 08, 2017 a matter of life and death is a visually extraordinary film. A compilation of six short documentary films exploring the rights and wrongs of some. Briefed by the ministry of information to make a film that would foster angloamerican relations in the postwar period, innovative filmmakers michael powell and emeric pressburger, came up with a matter of life and death an extravagant and extraordinary fantasy in which david niven stars as a downed pilot who must justify his continuing. In sneaky afterlife romance a matter of life and death. In an unexplained act of charity, jeanne holman, picks up an injured, apparent tramp and takes him home to care for him little realizing who he was, or the effect he would have on her life and those of her family. Powell claimed that a matter of life and death, released in the us as stairway to heaven, was his personal favorite of all his films. Definition of matter of life and death in the idioms dictionary. A matter of life and death 1946 is a romantic fantasy film set in world war ii by the british writerdirectorproducer team of michael powell and emeric pressburger, starring david niven. Stairway to heaven a matter of life and death 1947. In sneaky afterlife romance a matter of life and death, theres poetry but no god chris barsanti. What does matter of life and death expression mean. It is amazing that such an incredible film, with its dexterous use of special effects, black and white footage has not been made available for purchase. Powell and emeric pressburgers richly humanistic a matter of life and death.
Dont let people miss on a great quote from the a matter of life and death movie add it here. If it all seems like too much, the toomuchness of it all is exactly the point. I uploaded a slightly higher quality version of this so ill be deleting this one eventually and just leaving up the new one. A soldier survives a crash that should kill him, washes up on a beach and meets the last person he spoke to the on the radio. A matter of life and death is the utterly unique, enduringly rich and strange romantic fantasia from michael powell and emeric pressburger. Stairway to heaven a matter of life and death movie. He has his crew bail out safely, but figures it is curtains for himself. The mgm studios art department officesdrafting room facilities had been taken. First mooted as a project to foster an improvement in angloamerican relations, a matter of life and death emerged as a timeless romantic fantasy. The british title of this film was a matter of life and death, and when the americans retitled it stairway to heaven, powell wrote in his autobiography, he felt they had missed the point. Movie map a matter of life and death if you are looking for movies like a matter of life and death these could be interesting candidates.
Know another quote from a matter of life and death. A matter of life and death full movie 1946 youtube. The closer two names are, the greater the probability the two movies are similar. A matter of life and death, between may 1026, is aiming to encourage open and honest conversation about death and dying through a variety of events aimed at all ages. A compilation of short films that pose ethical questions through real life stories. Returning to england from a bombing run in may 1945, pilot peter carters plane is damaged and his parachute ripped to shreds. Everyone at orphaned entertainment is on cloud 9 for this film. Squadron leader peter carter is alone in a blazing plane. This film raises plenty of interesting questions, but fails to deliver anything but frivolous answers. I especially liked his examination of the film s historical context, namely how although it was inspired by wwii issues, it was still relevant when it. This was the first feature photographed by the great cinematographer jack. This movies bizarre premise was based on an actual event.
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