It’s 1945 and Britain is at war. Squadron Leader Peter Carter has cheated death; his life hangs in the balance. The premise of the film is simple although the narrative stunningly complex and compelling.
Filmed in beautiful Technicolor, which is even noted in the narrative, the film playfully toys with the notion of reality. A slight cliché, but this film really does feel revolutionary and ahead of it’s time in it’s self-referential style rendering the film post-modern. While many look at the French New Wave of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s as the film movement that first truly challenged the conventions of the cinema, A Matter of Life and Death, does it 10 years before. Spatial and temporal relations are challenged and even acknowledged by the characters. This is not a challenging film for the viewer though, on the contrary, it is fun and looks amazing. Seemingly original modern ‘classics’ like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind seem less original after this viewing.
The acting is superb throughout with David Niven taking the lead role and a fine supporting cast. To summarise this is a classic British film that thrives on it’s originality and intelligence which still looks and feels great.
World of Film 