# A Matter Of Life And Death (1946) was just on the telly. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 3, 2008, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-matter-of-life-and-death-1946-was-just-on-the-telly/461871 "2008-09-03T14:31:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-matter-of-life-and-death-1946-was-just-on-the-telly/461871/1 "2008-09-03T14:31:00Z")
Anyone else here like it? I think it is a fantastic film. The visual effects hold up after the more than 60 years. I don’t own it on DVD but it has been on television a number of times in recent years and I’ve watched it every time I’ve known it was on. Are there any other films of a similar vintage in the same style? Some of the touches I really liked included: Heaven was in black and white while life was in colour. The American servicemen grabbing a Coke when they get to heaven. The doctor’s contraption for spying on the village. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-matter-of-life-and-death-1946-was-just-on-the-telly/461871/2 "2008-09-03T22:08:52Z")
Powell & Pressburger could do no wrong during this period, and the fact that this is my 5th favorite film of theirs from the 40s (after _Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, The Life and Death of Col. Blimp_ and _I Know Where I’m Going!_) is only a testimony how amazingly strong and prolific their talent was at the time. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-matter-of-life-and-death-1946-was-just-on-the-telly/461871/3 "2008-09-03T22:35:33Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Powell & Pressburger could do no wrong during this period, and the fact that this is my 5th favorite film of theirs from the 40s (after _Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, The Life and Death of Col. Blimp_ and _I Know Where I’m Going!_) is only a testimony how amazingly strong and prolific their talent was at the time. Absolutely. My ranking is similar; \*AMoLaD \*suffers a tiny bit from sentiment and unsubtlety, but P&P were in a class of their own. _Black Narcissus_ and _Col. Blimp_ live on my “staff recommendations” shelf. (Unfortunate note: this is one of the only P&P titles that remains unavailable in the US. Presumably Criterion will get to it eventually, but eventually is really starting to drag.) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-matter-of-life-and-death-1946-was-just-on-the-telly/461871/4 "2008-09-04T02:23:46Z")
Incidentally, it’s known as _Stairway to Heaven_ in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Ellef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8dc957/32.png) [@Ellef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellef)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-matter-of-life-and-death-1946-was-just-on-the-telly/461871/5 "2008-09-04T09:58:56Z")
A Matter of Life and Death is going to be on terrestrial TV in the UK soon, next week I believe for those who would like to see it. I love it - Marius Goring steals every scene he is in! ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-matter-of-life-and-death-1946-was-just-on-the-telly/461871/6 "2008-09-04T12:32:19Z")
> [@Ellef](#): > > A Matter of Life and Death is going to be on terrestrial TV in the UK soon, next week I believe for those who would like to see it. > > I love it - Marius Goring steals every scene he is in! It was on Channel 4, that’s where I saw it. It might be on again soon though, ---
**Author:** ![Promethea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Promethea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Promethea)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-matter-of-life-and-death-1946-was-just-on-the-telly/461871/7 "2008-09-04T13:39:09Z")
Powell & Pressburger are my favourite filmakers and I do utterly love A Matter Of Life And Death. (Although The Life & Death of Colonel Blimp is my favourite of their movies with Black Narcissus in second place). As some of the most memorable bits of AMOLAD have already been suggested, I’ll mention that I always get a bit of a chill from that atonal piano music that David Niven hears, most noticeably in the scene with the rehearsals for the play. It’s a subtle indication of the ‘Heaven World’ trying to intrude on his walking reality and it’s very unsettling. Makes me wish that that Powell & Pressburger had turned their hand to making a scary, supernatural movie. I think they would have brought something really fresh. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-matter-of-life-and-death-1946-was-just-on-the-telly/461871/8 "2008-09-08T17:20:27Z")
Thanks for the info folks. I’ll have to track down some of their other films.