Classic Film Review: A Matter of Life and Death
Heaven and Reality Collide in Famous Drama
Apr 26, 2009
Carter (David Niven) is a British WW2 airman who, having survived his death in improbable circumstances, is notified that he is wrongfully alive due to a mix-up in heaven. Whilst he challenges this seemingly internally, presenting it as delusions to others, his new love June (Hunter) tries to find out what is wrong with the help of her doctor friend Frank Reeves (Roger Livesey).Is what Carter seeing the real story, or are his hallucinations all down to an injury that could kill him in the real world?
Niven, Livesey Present Classic British Performances
David Niven portrays a man who at once is existing in the material world and also being implored to go to the afterlife, and expertly conveys his character as a conflicted man, and it really helps the viewer to become completely sympathetic to his cause. Roger Livesey's understated performance is impressive, playing the doctor Frank Reeves, a man who will do what he can for another in need, even if this continues beyond life itself.
Kim Hunter, who played Stella Kowalski memorably in the film adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire, is June, the American army girl who falls for Carter, whom she has thought died after their communication whilst he was onboard his crashing plane. Hunter conveys the character as a woman who has finally found love, but could see it just as easily fall away from her. Marius Goring, as the 'conductor' who misses Carter and begins the whole situation, is the film's comic relief as a French revolution-era fool trying to convince Carter to continue his destined path, but who eventually sides with the airman and helps him in his case against the greatest of authorities.
Powell and Pressburger Present Seminal Vision of Heaven
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, a two man team who directed, produced and wrote a series of British films around this time, are at their film-making best here. Their direction is brilliant, with the actors conveying seriousness and a sense of truth in the ever-so-slightly fantastical setting.This is perhaps an indication of how two people can be so in-tune with regards to film-making, something that is not likely to be seen today.
The time and setting mean that much of the British characters' conversations are rather "Hoo-ray Henry", but this is grounded by the presence of many Americans within the film. The dialogues between Massey and Livesey in the court scenes suggest that the two directors wanted to present stereotypes and outdated attitudes and shoot them all down, and this scene was powerful to watch, and engaging. The music was, like with many older films, forgettable and largely in the background, only swelling to symbolise an important dramatic moment.
Visually Stunning
Apart from the shoddy appearance of the black and white (and that seems to be down to the film stock, or the quality of the version watched), colour for the real world and B&W for the afterlife was a novel idea here, and it really adds to the fantasy of the film. The vision of the afterlife presented here is clinical and yet welcoming, and the sets (including the fantastic courtroom) are immense. There are not many points in which the limitations of technology are laid bare, which is another strength of the film; it doesn't seek to present its shortcomings, instead it does what it can to be innovative and this in turn doesn't pull the modern viewer out of the film.
An old film that deserves a look, A Matter... is brilliant, old-fashioned British filmmaking at its best. Some may tire of it, and others may ignore it completely, but its standing as a popular film at the time has given it longevity that today affords it a second glance.
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