A Matter of Life And Death (Powell & Pressburger, 1946)
My Winter Movies # 14
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In the magical, mystical cinematic world of Michael Powell, anything is possible. Time and space are boundless — and so is the imagination. That was his genius.
And Powell, who died in 1990, was never more imaginative with time and space than in A Matter of Life and Death, the 1946 celestial fantasy starring David Niven and Kim Hunter as cosmically crossed lovers who thwart the natural laws of the universe with their passionate romance. [It] daringly combined substance and escapism. Martin Scorsese, who controls the North American theatrical distribution rights, suggests the film is still provocative. «It holds up, I think, because of the outrageousness of it,» he said by phone from his Manhattan office. «It’s a real leap of faith — you either go with it or you don’t. And if you do, it’s both a fantasy and a love story that plays out in the mind of Niven. What happens to him is totally realistic. Powell’s vision is a place that’s so beautiful to be alive in. His use of Technicolor is so romantic and spiritual.» (Bill Desowitz, «Michael Powell: Resurrecting a Cosmic Fantasy of Love and Death», The New York Times, 31st October, 1999)
