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Matter of Life and Death, A

Alternative title
Stairway to Heaven
Synopsis
A British wartime aviator who cheats death by miraculously surviving bailing out of his plane without a parachute must argue for his life before a celestial court. Fantasy film, ostensibly produced with the intention of improving Anglo-American relations after the war. A key sequence features a rehearsal of an amateur production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Pyramus and Thisbe scene (V i). Two lovers trying to communicate and being restrained by an imaginary wall echoes one of the film’s major themes.
'A glittering wartime fantasia...it ranks among the greatest films ever made, a shimmering jewel in the crown of British cinema’ (The Guardian, 2019).
Language
English
Country
Great Britain
Medium
Film
Technical information
Black-and-white / Sound
Year of release
1945
Subjects
Film studies
Keywords
cinema - UK; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Film history

Credits

Director
Emeric Pressburger; Michael Powell
Producer
Emeric Pressburger; Michael Powell
Cinematographer
Jack Cardiff
Screenplay
Emeric Pressburger; Michael Powell
Music
Allan Gray
Art Direction
Alfred Junge
Cast
David Niven 
Kim Hunter 
Marius Goring 
Raymond Massey 
Robert Atkins 
Robert Coote 
Roger Livesey 

Distribution Formats

Type
DVD
Format
Region 2 PAL
Price
£6.88
Availability
Sale
Duration/Size
100 minutes
Year
2019

Archive

Name

BFI National Archive

Web
http://www.bfi.org.uk/archive-collections/searching-access-collections/research-viewing-services External site opens in new window
Phone
020 7255 1444
Fax
020 7436 0165
Address
21 Stephen Street
London
W1T 1LN

Distributor (Sale)

 

Available from retail outlets

View this record on the Shakespeare site for additional details

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