A Matter of Life and Death is a sentimental post WWII film designed to console an audience that has most likely lost a lot of loved ones. This is a film following the life of Peter Carter (David Niven) English RAF pilot who attempts suicide from jumping out his plane without a parachute as it’s on fire about to crash. During this deciding moment, he is on a call talking to an American woman June (Kim Hunter). It is then discovered that Peter had survived the jump and stumbles upon June by sheer luck, falling in love. He then wants a second lease on life and to do this he must fight his case in a celestial court.
I would like to begin by saying, this was my first viewing of the film, and I loved it. What I loved most about this film was the cinematography. Never in my life have I seen cinematography with such brilliant use of colour. Throughout the film there’s this swing back and forth between black and white and technicolour. The accuracy within each shot as well, really is otherworldly, it’s brilliant. There is such stunning and creative mise-en-scene throughout the film as well. For example, one scene during the ending of the film presents everyone from the court on the celestial staircase, coming down from heaven to address June, on her love for Peter. During this scene there’s this perfect representation of heaven and earth. This shot in particular makes great use of a stylistic feature frequently used throughout the film, this being the use of freeze frames. This is a great feature, symbolising the stop of time and a link between life and death. The film really beautifully presents this, especially during this scene in which we see the surgeons doing surgery on Peter, except Peter isn’t in the bed he’s standing in full uniform in position to the staircase. At this point there has been a request to freeze Peter to allow for June to inadvertently save Peters life and ultimately save their relationship, for love is more powerful than the law of eternity.
Another aspect of this film that has me singing its praise is the level of symbolism throughout the film. How the directors constructed the link between heaven and earth through the utilisation of a freeze frame is just perfect. Another example of symbolism I loved in this film is the representation of the fight for life against death. Through the use of surgery and court the film creatively presents the idea of a fight for a second chance of life. We have the surgeons fighting to keep him alive down on earth, creating the idea they are in control of his life at that time, but really there is a celestial court case deciding on whether Peter gets his second lease on life. In a sense the surgery is used as a microcosm to represent the court case as it encapsulates the idea of the fight between life and death.
There are aspects of this film that I have criticism towards this being the over utilisation of melodrama as a representation of romance and Peter and Junes love, but I will push that under the rug considering the time it came out. However, overall that is my only real criticism for this film as a test of time, really, I loved it.
In conclusion, this is a sentimental film designed to console its audience. I think it’s incredibly hard to dislike this film for the sheer creative and awe-inspiring level of cinematography among its also brilliant story line and philosophical underlining. I would highly recommend this film to anyone at all, I have no doubt in my mind that this is a film everyone would enjoy.
9/10
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