A Matter of Life and Death
Neither Heaven nor Earth could keep them apart!
1946 • 104 min • Romance · Fantasy · Drama · Comedy
Synopsis
A British wartime aviator who cheats death must argue for his life before a celestial court, hoping to prolong his fledgling romance with an American girl.
Our family guide
Best from age 9- 100 Reviewers · 1 · 51%
- 78 Audience · 476 · 49%
A British pilot miraculously survives a plane crash, falls in love, and then must argue for his life before a celestial court. His passionate defense aims to extend his time on Earth with the woman he loves.
- Violence & peril
- 2/10
- Language
- 1/10
- Drinking, drugs & smoking
- 1/10
- Romance & sensuality
- 2/10
- Scary moments
- 2/10
Heads up
- Wartime peril, but not graphic
- Some minor peril and philosophical discussions
- Brief kissing scenes
What it models well
- Love conquering all
- The value of life
- Cultural understanding
Talk about it after
- Different perspectives on life and death
- The concept of justice
- The challenges of war
- Love at first sight
Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for A Matter of Life and Death. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.
Where to watch
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Top billed cast
Director: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger • Crew: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Trailers & clips
Actor Michael Sheen on why A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH is his favorite film | TCM
A Scene from A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
Official 4K Restoration Trailer
The BFI podcast: A Matter of Life and Death | BFI
Mark Kermode reviews A Matter of Life and Death | BFI Player
Thelma Schoonmaker, A Matter Of Life And Death
Reviewer notes
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersJack Cardiff shows off the cinematographers art to beautiful effect in this Powell and Pressberger tale of a WWII pilot (David Niven) who cheats death, falls in love (with Kim Hunter) and then argues before a heavenly court why he should not have to die (yet) after all. The story is tinged with humour and pathos and poses some fairly basic "human rights" questions.…
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Gallery
Details
- TMDB audience
- 7.8/10 (476)
- Age rating
- PG
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $450,000
- Box office
- $1,750,000
- IMDb
- tt0038733
