--- title: "A Matter of Life and Death" year: 1946 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/a-matter-of-life-and-death" fi1m_id: "a-matter-of-life-and-death" imdb_id: "tt0038733" tmdb_id: 28162 wikidata_id: "Q1546792" fi1m_score: 92 critics_score: 88 critics_reviews: 7 published: "2026-09-12" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:12.396869+00:00" region: "FI" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # A Matter of Life and Death (1946) Directed by Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell · 1h 44m · KAVI S-3 · Romance, Fantasy, Drama, Comedy ## Identity A Matter of Life and Death - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/a-matter-of-life-and-death - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** a-matter-of-life-and-death - **IMDb ID:** tt0038733 - **TMDB ID:** 28162 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1546792 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038733/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/28162, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1546792 **Fi1m score: 92** · Critics 88 from 7 reviews *In a sentence:* Heaven has no colour and too many officials; we would prefer another evening on Earth > Powell and Pressburger’s romantic fantasy is funny, moving and easy to recommend to almost anyone. The speeches occasionally labour the point, but the colour and the performances make being alive seem worth all this celestial fuss. ## Synopsis Peter Carter (David Niven) and June (Kim Hunter) fall in love, but a celestial bureaucracy has an interest in their future. Earthly romance comes up against the rules of another world, where human feelings have to compete with official procedure. Doctor Reeves (Roger Livesey) and Conductor 71 (Marius Goring) are among the figures in a story that crosses the boundary between life and death. Written and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the film combines fantasy and comedy with questions about love, nationality and the human cost of war. ## Review Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger make an earthly romance important enough to trouble the administration of heaven, and they make us believe it deserves the attention. *A Matter of Life and Death* is a funny, moving fantasy that we would recommend well beyond the usual audience for tales of the afterlife. There is plenty of room here for the romance to be buried beneath the explanations. Powell and Pressburger usually know when to let their actors take over. David Niven’s Peter Carter makes courtesy seem like a way of managing fear. Niven’s charm matters because it gives us someone to care about before we have sorted out the rules of the fantasy. Kim Hunter’s June is direct enough to stop their attachment feeling like an excuse for the scenery. Roger Livesey brings a reassuring warmth to Doctor Reeves. The performances have a deliberate theatrical quality, but their feelings are sufficiently clear that we never find ourselves waiting impatiently for the next special effect. Jack Cardiff’s photography supplies the film’s clearest reason for wanting to stay alive: Earth gets Technicolor, while heaven is black and white. We found that monochrome heaven unexpectedly sad. Coming from the warmth of the earthly scenes, the loss of colour makes all its grandeur seem poor compensation. The device is simple enough to register at once, and Cardiff makes it carry feeling without requiring another speech. Alfred Junge’s production design is just as important, especially the enormous heavenly amphitheatre, which gives the other world an intimidating public scale. The sheer size of the place helps us understand how easily an individual’s concerns could be dismissed here. Marius Goring, as Conductor 71, brings welcome mischief to the official business. His mannered performance belongs in these surroundings; playing it casually would make the whole place harder to accept. Reginald Mills’s editing keeps the movements between worlds easy to follow, an important courtesy when the story asks us to accept so much. The colour changes do some of that work, but the film also needs a rhythm that can accommodate romance, jokes and extended discussion. Mills mostly finds it, though the talk does occasionally settle in for longer than it should. Allan Gray’s music helps sustain the warmth of the romance through these changes of setting and pace. Powell and Pressburger’s screenplay is less sure when it makes the lovers carry the weight of relations between Britain and America. The generosity is welcome, especially in a story conscious of what war has cost people, but the national parallels can become laborious. We do not need quite so much encouragement to favour affection over mutual suspicion. The speeches sometimes explain the film’s humane feelings after the actors and the colour have already made them clear. Romantic fantasy often depends on how readily we will forgive an absurd rule or an overcomplicated explanation. This one earns that forgiveness through the conviction of its actors and the pleasure of looking at the worlds Cardiff and Junge have made. At 104 minutes, it has room for some verbal excess without exhausting our goodwill. Watch it with someone who thinks old screen romances are timid, and allow time afterwards for them to reconsider. *Fi1m score 92, published 12 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics warmly praise Powell and Pressburger’s romantic fantasy, with agreement strongest on its visual invention and its treatment of love and war’s human cost. The contrast between Technicolor Earth and black-and-white heaven draws repeated admiration, alongside the otherworldly sets, special effects and theatrical staging. The reviews also value the humour and charm of the performances, finding that the romance gives warmth to the film’s political questions about Britain, America and their relationship. Reservations concern how insistently the film explains its ideas, rather than any lack of ambition. The Playlist finds some parallels heavy-handed but remains enthusiastic; Variety offers the sharp dissent, judging the promising opening to give way to excessive talk, pretension and insufficient humanity. The spread is therefore wide, though the disagreement is concentrated: most critics find feeling and wit in the same elaborate fantasy that the negative review regards as too intellectual. ## Straight answers **Is A Matter of Life and Death worth watching?** *A Matter of Life and Death* is worth watching for almost anyone, and we scored it 92. Powell and Pressburger's romantic fantasy is funny and moving, with David Niven and Kim Hunter making the love story matter before the rules of heaven are explained. The speeches about Britain and America occasionally labour the point, but Jack Cardiff's colour photography does the persuading on its own. **How long is A Matter of Life and Death, and what is it rated?** *A Matter of Life and Death* runs 1h 44m and is rated S-3 by the KAVI in Finland. It is a romance and fantasy film. **Where can I watch A Matter of Life and Death in Finland?** *A Matter of Life and Death* is available to buy from Apple TV from €12.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How does A Matter of Life and Death compare to Here Comes Mr. Jordan?** *A Matter of Life and Death* is the richer film, and [*Here Comes Mr. Jordan*](https://film.one/film/here-comes-mr-jordan) the quicker and slighter one. Both imagine heaven as an office that finds the living awkward, but Powell and Pressburger give their lovers real weight, where Alexander Hall's comedy is thin exactly where its romance should be. Choose the earlier film for a brisk, kind hour; choose this one if you want to be moved. **What should I watch after A Matter of Life and Death?** After *A Matter of Life and Death*, try [*Here Comes Mr. Jordan*](https://film.one/film/here-comes-mr-jordan) (1941, Fi1m 77): Another celestial administration discovers that the living can be awkward customers. Then [*Wings of Desire*](https://film.one/film/wings-of-desire) (1987, Fi1m 88): For more angels looking at ordinary life and wishing to join in; and [*After Life*](https://film.one/film/after-life) (1998, Fi1m 85): A quieter afterlife, where choosing one memory becomes a tender, difficult task. ### Reviews we read (12) - **Radio Times**, David Parkinson (5/5): The critic states that Powell and Pressburger marry theatrical stylisation with thematic purpose to perfection in this dazzling fantasy. It highlights the barbed political allegory questioning Allied ties and Britain’s world status, along with the film’s visual audacity and mannered playing. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-j8s6xo/a-matter-of-life-and-death/) - **The Times**, Ed Potton (★★★★★): The review hails the restored classic as outlandishly humane, celebrating its spirit of love, pacifism and international fraternity through luminous Technicolor photography and strong performances. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/classic-film-a-matter-of-life-and-death-1946-2ckvs9g06) - **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (5/5): The critic notes that the film’s origins as a Ministry of Information propaganda piece celebrating Anglo-American relations are not obvious until the final trial scene. It praises the central conceit of the black-and-white heaven versus Technicolor earth and the way the celestial court sequence conveys the emotional weight of six years of war. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/a-matter-of-life-and-death-1) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (90/100, inferred): Ebert calls the film one of the most audacious ever made for its grandiose yet cozy vision and technical invention. He singles out the spectacular heavenly amphitheater and effects like the rose-petal tear as standout elements. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/stairway-to-heaven-a-matter-of-life-and-death-1995) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (40/100, inferred): The review finds the picture overly intellectual and pretentious, with too much talk after a promising start and insufficient humanity. It notes the experimental designs for the other world but deems them a matter of taste. [Read](https://variety.com/1945/film/reviews/a-matter-of-life-and-death-1200414813/) - **Empire**, Emma Cochrane: Powell and Pressburger's 1946 fable has aged well into a genuine classic with humour and heart that rewards repeat viewings. The critic highlights its universal themes of war's human cost and the inventive black-and-white heaven versus Technicolor earth contrast. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/matter-life-death-review/) - **Slant Magazine**, Eric Henderson: The critic highlights the film's slippery boundary between fantasy and reality, its striking use of Technicolor on Earth contrasting with black-and-white heaven, and its optimistic post-WWII message about love transcending borders. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/a-matter-of-life-and-death/) - **The AV Club**, Keith Phipps: The critic commends the film's ambitious mix of romance, fantasy, and celestial debate, praising its inventive visuals of colorful Earth versus stark heaven and charming performances that make it an enjoyable, romantic work. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/stairway-to-heaven-1798195297) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: The critic praises Powell and Pressburger’s 1946 film as a visually extraordinary and politically topical romantic fantasia, highlighting its unique blend of earthly romance and celestial bureaucracy amid the special relationship between Britain and America. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/dec/08/matter-life-death-review-re-release-powell-pressburger-david-niven-fighter-pilot) - **The Playlist**, The Playlist Staff (A+): Praises it as arguably their greatest achievement, magnificent, moving, romantic, original fantasy; profound with ideas about death, love, etc., but wildly entertaining. Singles out the script, lensing, production design. Minor complaint about heavy-handed parallels. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/the-films-of-powell-pressburger-a-retrospective-20130319/4/) - **Collider**, Craig Jones (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a masterly rival to It’s a Wonderful Life and a prime example of post-war optimism, praising its powerful storytelling, innovative use of color versus monochrome, and emphasis on justice, fairness, and the common man. [Read](https://collider.com/a-matter-of-life-and-death-movie/) - **Eye for Film**, Scott Macdonald: The critic calls it one of the best films ever made, praising its style, wit, special effects, cinematography, and the team's command of craft. Singles out the heavenly scenes and Technicolor for praise. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/a-matter-of-life-and-death-film-review-by-scott-macdonald) ## Details - **Director:** Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell - **Director:** Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell - **Screenplay:** Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell - **Cinematography:** Jack Cardiff - **Editor:** Reginald Mills - **Music:** Allan Gray - **Production design:** Alfred Junge - **Costume design:** Josef Bato, Hein Heckroth - **Producer:** Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger - **Cast:** David Niven as Peter Carter; Kim Hunter as June; Roger Livesey as Doctor Reeves; Marius Goring as Conductor 71; Robert Coote as Bob Trubshawe; Kathleen Byron as An Angel; Richard Attenborough as An English Pilot; Bonar Colleano as An American Pilot - **Runtime:** 1h 44m - **Certificate (KAVI):** S-3 - **Release (Finland):** 9 May 1947 - **Genres:** Romance, Fantasy, Drama, Comedy - **Budget:** $450,000 - **Box office:** $2 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0veuSLLWZ0 ## Where to watch in Finland - Apple TV: buy €12.99, sd *Checked 2026-09-12.* Also available in: AT, AU, BE, CH, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, IL, JP, LT, NO, NZ, PT, SE. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Here Comes Mr. Jordan* (1941), Fi1m 77: Another celestial administration discovers that the living can be awkward customers. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/here-comes-mr-jordan.md) - *Wings of Desire* (1987), Fi1m 88: For more angels looking at ordinary life and wishing to join in. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/wings-of-desire.md) - *After Life* (1998), Fi1m 85: A quieter afterlife, where choosing one memory becomes a tender, difficult task. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/after-life.md) - *The Red Shoes* (1948), Fi1m 92: For another romance whose colour and theatrical scale make its feelings larger. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-red-shoes.md) - *Petite Maman* (2021), Fi1m 88: A smaller, gentler fantasy that takes impossible meetings seriously and explains little. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/petite-maman.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/a-matter-of-life-and-death