History Film / AMatterOfLifeAndDeath

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In 2004, ''A Matter of Life and Death'' was named the second greatest British film ever made by the magazine ''Total Film'' in a poll of 25 film critics, behind only ''Film/{{Get Carter|1971}}''.

In 2004, ''A Matter of Life and Death'' was named the second greatest British film ever made by the magazine ''Total Film'' in a poll of 25 film critics, behind only ''Film/GetCarter''.

* OurAngelsAreDifferent: Officious, incompetent (and [[AcceptableTargets French]]), but [[ChivalrousPervert basically a good guy]].

''A Matter of Life and Death'' (1946) is a romantic fantasy film set in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII by the British writer-director-producer team of Creator/MichaelPowell and Emeric Pressburger, starring Creator/DavidNiven. It was originally commissioned as one of the last films funded by the Ministry of Information with the intention of serving as an entertaining comedy about some of the baggage concerning Anglo-American relationship but as always Powell and Pressburger drew from wider references. The main plot was inspired by a real-life incident of a British pilot who survived a plane crash, in addition to which they drew on Hungarian author Frigyes Karinthy's ''A Journey Round My Skull'' which described the author's experience with brain tumor and the vivid hallucinations it produced. He described having vivid visions in his coma concerning the afterlife and the film mixes fantasy with medically accurate descriptions of partial epileptic seizures.

Peter D. Carter (David Niven) is a British [=RAF=] pilot whose plane is about to crash. Just as it is about to crash, he gives a dying message to the American radio operator June (Kim Hunter), having a final painful conversation where they miraculously fall in love despite not meeting each other. Carter survives the crash but all is not well. In the Afterlife, a council notes that Carter has essentially cheated death and they send Conductor 71 (Marius Goring), an aristocrat who lost his head during the ReignOfTerror to bring him to the Afterlife. However, Peter by this time has met June after crashing on the beach, and they begin a relationship which Peter argues makes him an exception to the laws of the universe. A tussle between Life and Afterlife ensues, as Peter's friends on earth and his supporters in the afterlife battle for the rights of his soul.

* SurvivorsGuilt: Peter's visions, filled with crowds of dead British and American soldiers, is largely an elaborate way to deal with his guilt of living while many fellow soldiers, including his crewmates, died. He largely has to convince himself that love with June is truly worth surviving in their place.

* CourtroomAntics: Farlan says that Reeves can replace the jury with a fresh one halfway through the trial if he wants. This is fine apparently. Of course it is heaven (or a hallucination) so this probably isn't a problem.

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-->--Opening Narration

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!! This Movie Contains Examples Of:

* SlidingScaleOfGenderInequality: Even in the afterlife, it's still the 1940s. Some roles of authority, such as the Chief Recorder, are filled by women, but the Judge and both juries -- who are drawn from all walks of life -- are all male, and Peter and Conductor 71 never consider the possibility of a woman defending him.

* SlidingScaleOfGenderInequality: Even in the afterlife, it's still the 1940s. Some roles of authority, such as the Chief Recorder, are filled by women, but the Judge and both juries are all male.