This British film from master filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger was released in the U.K. under the title A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH and in the U.S. as STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN. The British title is far better for it holds various meanings.
Squadron Leader Peter D. Carter (David Niven, THE PINK PANTHER) is about to bail out of his burning plane, however he doesn’t have a parachute. He puts out a distress call so that his fellow pilots can be picked up where they parachuted out. He reaches an American girl named June (Kim Hunter, PLANET OF THE APES), who is taken by the way Peter handles himself. Peter’s friend Flying Officer Bob Trubshawe (Robert Coote, THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR) waits for him in heaven, however he never arrives. Conductor 71 (Marius Goring, THE RED SHOES), an angel assigned to pick up Peter, missed Peter in the damn English fog.
This is the first mistake in heaven in ages. Peter miraculously lands on a beach and meets June, falling instantly in love. In the meantime, Conductor 71 is sent to Earth to bring Peter back. However, Peter protests, stating that he’s in love and shouldn’t be penalized for someone else’s mistake. He demands an appeal, which is later granted. June worries about Peter’s visions and calls in her friend Dr. Frank Reeves (Roger Livesey, THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP) to figure out what is wrong with Peter. As Peter’s appeal to heaven approaches, Dr. Reeves believes more and more that Peter needs brain surgery immediately or he risks going insane.
The whimsical tall has been copied for decades. However, Powell and Pressburger do it with their own unique style. The scenes in heaven are black & white with a strange, almost surreal set design. Earth-based scenes are in glorious Technicolor, which upon Conductor 71’s first visit to Earth comments “the other place” could use some Technicolor.
The funny whimsy of the first two-thirds is replaced in the end with a debate between American and British values and perceptions of the other. It’s a testament to the talent of Powell and Pressburger that the film doesn’t jump the rails in switching from a frothy romance to something more serious in the third act. Yet, it works and brings an unusual depth to the story.
Niven and Hunter do a compelling job of developing lovers who seem in love despite only having met a few days before. However, the effete French angel played by Goring and Livesey’s dedicated doctor steal all the scenes they are in. Raymond Massey (ARSENIC AND OLD LACE) also makes an impression as Abraham Farlan, the American prosecutor who has a grudge against the British. This funny and romantic picture is a simple ode to love, but in telling that tale has something to say about the violent history between Great Britain and its former colonies in the Americas. If you haven’t ever seen a Powell and Pressburger film, you’re missing out on arguably the best British filmmakers of all time.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
