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

Duration

103 mins; 9,346 feet

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	Peter Carter
Kim Hunter	June
Marius Goring	Conductor 71
Raymond Massey	Abraham Furlan
Robert Atkins	The Vicar
Robert Coote	Bob
Roger Livesey	Doctor Reeves

Additional Details

Production type

Fiction Films

Plays

Midsummer Night’s Dream, A

Subjects

Film studies

Keywords

cinema - UK; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Film history

Notes

General

Robert Atkins, the vicar organising the play’s production, was a noted Shakespearean actor appearing in HAMLET (1913) and THE TEMPEST (1956).

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)

Name

Retail outlets