A Matter of Life an Death

directed by Michael Powell
Category: "Fantasy"
Year of Release:1946
Date Added:07/01/2024
Date Watched:07/01/2024
Description:British pilot Peter Carter (David Niven) is stuck without a parachute in a burning airplane. On the radio, he contacts June (Kim Hunter), an American radio operator, and they share Peter's last moments before he dies. Except he doesn't die. Somehow he survives the fall from the plane and washes ashore in England. He meets June, and they fall in love. But there's a mix-up in "the other world." Peter was supposed to die, and so an operator is sent to retrieve him. Peter appeals his case, and soon there's a trial somewhere in the universe to decide if Peter and June's love is strong enough to be worthy of granting Peter more life. Meanwhile, on earth, June contacts Dr. Frank Reeves (Roger Livesey), a neurosurgeon, who diagnoses Peter as having a brain injury. Dr. Reeves himself is soon killed in a crash, but that allows him to defend Peter in the "other world" court. The prosecutor is Raymond Massey, who dislikes Englishmen, and the trial soon develops into a debate on whether England or America is better. In the end, love wins out, Pete wins his case, the surgery is successful, and all live happily for a while longer.
My Rating:3

Reviews for A Matter of Life an Death

Review - A Matter of Life an Death

It's supposed to be a classic, but I thought it was slow-moving, dull, and nonsensical. The theology was ridiculous. Even the love between Peter and June was suspect since they'd just met. And while June was falling in love with Peter, she thought he was going insane, so there's that ... Also, scenes on earth were in color but in the "other world," they were in black and white, which was weird.

Reviewed by Roger on 2024-07-01 17:14:02

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