A Matter of Life and Death

"Neither Heaven nor Earth could keep them apart!"

1946 1h 44m EN

🙌

7.7

BANGER

★7.7TMDB · 490

RomanceFantasyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Neither Heaven nor Earth could keep them apart!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

David Niven
Peter Carter
Kim Hunter
June
Roger Livesey
Doctor Reeves
Marius Goring
Conductor 71
Robert Coote
Bob Trubshawe
Kathleen Byron
An Angel
Richard Attenborough
An English Pilot
Bonar Colleano
An American Pilot

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Powell
Writers: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Languages: English, French, Russian
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.9× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

80 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, Russian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Powell, shot by Jack Cardiff. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Allan Gray. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Reginald Mills shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

David Niven and Kim Hunter and Roger Livesey carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Powell directs. Jack Cardiff behind the camera. Allan Gray scores. Reginald Mills cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, French, Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 3.9× over at the box office.
380 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, Russian.
5Directed by Michael Powell, shot by Jack Cardiff. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Allan Gray. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Reginald Mills shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8David Niven and Kim Hunter and Roger Livesey carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Neither Heaven nor Earth could keep them apart!".
10IMDB entry: tt0038733 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 13 themes, including "court case", "england", "angel", "world war ii".
12Released under 25 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jack Cardiff
Original score: Allan Gray
Editing: Reginald Mills
Production design: Alfred Junge
Costume design: Hein Heckroth
Makeup / hair: George Blackler
Runtime: 104 min · 1h 44m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $450,000
Box office: $1,750,000
Return: 389% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

Also by

Michael Powell

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What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-07-07
★ 7/10
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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