ALL THIS AND WORLD WAR II MONTH
(Post 3 of 10)
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| A Matter of Life and Death |
A Matter of Life and Death doesn't have the epic narrative arc of the The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp or the scenic romanticism of I Know Where I'm Going!, but A Matter of Life and Death is the Powell/Pressburger film of the three that I enjoyed the most.
The plot of a doomed pilot that is snatched from the jaws of death accidentally and finds his true love is pretty similar plotwise to the later Heaven Can Wait. The film's fantasy elements and use of color and black and white film give the film an otherworldly effect similar to The Wizard of Oz. The section of the film with the pilot trying to make a case to stay on earth could have ventured into over sentimentalization, but never does. In fact, his trial before jurors from the after-life might be the highlight of the film.
The leads of David Niven and Kim Hunter in the film are fine. But the two performers that really stand out are Raymond Massey as the celestial prosecutor and Roger Livesy (who was in the other two films I mentioned and has one of the greatest screen voices of all-time) as the doctor.
From the Soundtrack of All This and World War II
I guess it shows how popular Leo Sayer was in 1976 that he actually got three tracks on the All This and World War II soundtrack. Leo's hits of the era include When I Need You, How Much Love and the undeniably catchy You Make Me Feel Like Dancing.
And his version of I Am the Walrus isn't as bad as you might think.
I Am the Walrus
The Long and Winding Road
Let it Be
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Who said you can't find a picture of Leo Sayer
with one of the Beatles?
Here's Leo with George Harrison
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Yes, those two extraordinary voices carry the movie.
ReplyDeleteI loved the design of heaven. The black and white filming even enhanced the hyper-modernity of it.