On 02 May 1945 during the World War II, the Englishman and Commander Peter David Carter (David Niven) is returning to England in a bomber on fire, without parachute and with the pilot Bob (Robert Coote) dead. He contacts June (Kum Hunter) from the American Air Force on land and they start a conversation. June tells that she is single and is presently living in Lee Wood, at the seaside, and Peter explains his situation and asks June to send a telegram to his mother, and tells that he will jump from the plane since he does not want to burn with the plane. Peter awakes in the surf of Lee Wood beach and he meets June and they fall in love with each other.
Meanwhile in Heaven, the Conductor 71 (Marius Goring) admits to the Powers That Be that he committed a mistake and lost Peter in the fog. Then he meets Peter and tells him that he must go to Heaven since he should have died in the fall. But Peter claims to the Court of Appeals in Heaven claiming that the negligence of the Department of Records had allowed him to fall in love with June and he deserves a second chance.
Down on Earth, June takes Peter to Doctor Reeves (Roger Livesey) and the doctor finds a brain concussion that may be causing hallucinations in Peter and tells that he must operate in an urgent basis. While Peter is submitted to a surgery, Heaven agrees to open a case in court and judge his fate.
"A Matter of Life and Death" is an extraordinary film that combines drama, fantasy and romance in a wonderful ambiguous story. The lines and dialogs are impressive, with citations of philosophers and historic events, and it is never possible to know whether Peter's destiny was decided in this or in the other world. I loved the conclusion of Conductor 71 that life is more beautiful in Technicolor. The most important and beautiful is the final message that in the end nothing is stronger than love. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): "Neste Mundo e no Outro" ("In This World and in the Other")
Meanwhile in Heaven, the Conductor 71 (Marius Goring) admits to the Powers That Be that he committed a mistake and lost Peter in the fog. Then he meets Peter and tells him that he must go to Heaven since he should have died in the fall. But Peter claims to the Court of Appeals in Heaven claiming that the negligence of the Department of Records had allowed him to fall in love with June and he deserves a second chance.
Down on Earth, June takes Peter to Doctor Reeves (Roger Livesey) and the doctor finds a brain concussion that may be causing hallucinations in Peter and tells that he must operate in an urgent basis. While Peter is submitted to a surgery, Heaven agrees to open a case in court and judge his fate.
"A Matter of Life and Death" is an extraordinary film that combines drama, fantasy and romance in a wonderful ambiguous story. The lines and dialogs are impressive, with citations of philosophers and historic events, and it is never possible to know whether Peter's destiny was decided in this or in the other world. I loved the conclusion of Conductor 71 that life is more beautiful in Technicolor. The most important and beautiful is the final message that in the end nothing is stronger than love. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): "Neste Mundo e no Outro" ("In This World and in the Other")