A Matter of Life and Death Page #5

Synopsis: Returning to England from a bombing run in May 1945, flyer Peter Carter's plane is damaged and his parachute ripped to shreds. He has his crew bail out safely, but figures it is curtains for himself. He gets on the radio, and talks to June, a young American woman working for the USAAF, and they are quite moved by each other's voices. Then he jumps, preferring this to burning up with his plane. He wakes up in the surf. It was his time to die, but there was a mixup in heaven. They couldn't find him in all that fog. By the time his "Conductor" catches up with him 20 hours later, Peter and June have met and fallen in love. This changes everything, and since it happened through no fault of his own, Peter figures that heaven owes him a second chance. Heaven agrees to a trial to decide his fate.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Production: Universal Pictures
  1 win & 2 nominations.
 
IMDB:
8.1
Rotten Tomatoes:
96%
PG
Year:
1946
104 min
3,602 Views


Lexington, Concord.

You are good at history.|The American War of Independence.

- Oh, he was killed?|- By a British bullet.

Oh. He might be... prejudiced.

Hmm. He hates your guts.

And he hates the guts|of every Englishman.

And he hates this little affair|with the Boston-born girl.

It's not a little affair.

Ohh, a big affair he will hate even more!

- I'll appeal against him.|- No good!

We had to choose a good man.|Our honour is at stake.

Non, you must choose|a good man for yourself.

- As defending counsel?|- Precisely.

- Can I choose anybody?|- Anybody who's ever lived on earth.

Everybody is at your disposal.

- You can choose me.|- That would suit your book.

Do not waste time. Abraham Farlan|is piling up his case already.

You can choose Socrates, William Pitt,...

.. you can choose Henry Vlll.

Oh, Madame Du Barry.

- She knows all about love.|- Rather a one-track mind.

You are a good chess player. Philidor.

I'll think it over.

By the way, I'd like to borrow this.

It's not mine, it belongs to the doctor.

- Oh, doctors.|- What about them?

They give me a great deal|of trouble in my job.

(bell rings)

- He was here! He tricked us!|- Yes, he was... here.

And these were on the floor.

Peter, sit down.

Now...

.. look up.

You've been doing some hard talking.

I have.

- You didn't give in to anything?|- No.

- That's the spirit.|- Can I stay overnight?

- Yes, I'll tell Mrs Tucker.|- I don't need much.

Now, let's see.

Hmm. I'll tell Mrs Tucker you're staying.

Dr Reeves, can I stay in here?|I want to be near these books.

Of course. I'll fix up a camp bed.

Great news, darling.

- I'm allowed to appeal.|- Really?

June, I don't want to leave you.

Darling, why should you?|Everything will be all right.

- If I can get a good counsel.|- Of course you will.

It's very important.|I don't want to lose you.

I don't intend to let you go.|No-one can take you. I won't let them.

A judgement against me|would be backed up...

.. by all the power of this world|and of the other.

Drink this.

- Peter's got the right to appeal.|- Splendid.

- Smell anything?|- Yes.

- Fried onions?|- Yes.

Good. Drink that up.

- Any headache?|- Mm.

Tell me tomorrow what he said.

No, he said...

- Good heavens!|- What is it?

- He got my Hundred Best Games.|- Alekhese's chess book!

- You sure?|- Certain. He had it in his hand.

- What a nerve!|- A bit cool.

- Now, get to bed.|- I want to talk to you first.

No, have a long sleep.|Tomorrow, you'll feel as fresh as a daisy.

- You don't believe a word I say!|- Of course we do!

My dear friend, here on Earth|I am your defending counsel.

As your counsel,|I believe everything you tell me.

- Dr Gaerlter.|- Hello, Dr Reeves.

You make your rounds the hard way.|Give me a coupe!

- Is Dr McEwen free?|- He's going to operate.

He hasn't started yet.|I imagine he'll see you in the washroom.

- Hello, Frank, what's new?|- Deterioration.

We ought to operate tonight.

Impossible, we're swamped.|Sure of your diagnosis?

Certain. He had slight concussion|two years ago - no aftereffects.

The X-ray's inconclusive.

You know about these hallucinations|coupled with a sense of smell.

It points to arachnoid adhesions|involving the olfactory nerve.

A tricky op. I've never seen one.

I have - at the Hospital de la Piti in Paris.

I've made some notes for the surgeon.

It'll be Dr Leiser, a fine neurosurgeon.

- Leiser, good man.|- We can't manage tonight.

There's no crisis in such a thing.

- Any day will do.|- No, it won't.

I'll tell you why and why there is a crisis.

I'm afraid his brain|may be permanently affected.

Insanity?

- Yes.|- Why?

Because his trial is on for tonight.|He hasn't found anyone to defend him.

He spends all his time in my library.|He only sleeps when I drug him.

The boy has a fine mind but it's taxed.

That's the trouble, it's too good a mind.

A weak mind isn't strong enough|to hurt itself.

Stupidity has saved many a man|from going mad.

Yes, you're right there.

He's had several talks|with this heavenly messenger.

Hallucinations, but you never saw|such an imagination!

I've been taking tips on the other world -|law, system, architecture.

Interestingly, he never crosses|the limits of his imagination.

- I don't get you.|- Nothing he invents is fantastic.

It's invention, but logical invention.

The keystone to his invention|is that the trial takes place tonight.

He must win or lose his case tonight.

We ought to operate tonight.|No use shaking your head.

We need to find a counsel to save him|losing his case or we may lose him!

What about...

.. him?

Lincoln?

No, it's hardly fair to drag him in.|I don't believe he'd be prejudiced.

Plato.

How would you like|to be defended by Plato?

Nobody knew more about reasoning.

He was 81 when he died. He might be|too old to think love important.

Do you think so? Anyhow, Plato had|very elementary ideas about love.

Besides, didn't he quote Sophocles...

.. when someone asked him|if he could still appreciate a woman?

- What did the old boy say?|- "I'm glad to be rid of all that. "

"It's like escaping from bondage|to a raving madman. "

Tut!

These Greeks - cold as their marble.

If he had been French... Richelieu,|for example. Irresistible at 80!

How about Richelieu?

No, I never liked him much|in "The Three Musketeers".

(conductor) Solomon.

Solomon?

Non?

Mais, mon Dieu, who do you want?|You have only a few hours left!

It sounds a grand idea to have|all these great men to choose from,...

.. but what do they know|of our problems today?

True. Very little.

Besides,|I think it ought to be an Englishman.

Nobody famous, but somebody|with his head screwed on.

Screwed?

- Now, this Abraham... er...?|- Farlan.

Was he a famous man?

First American killed by a British bullet.

I mean, was he a great philosopher|or statesman?

- He was a schoolteacher.|- There, you see!

Now, Plato would probably talk about|perceptions and causations.

Pardon?

- Over your head, too?|- Definitely.

It's quite simple...

By the way, why are you so interested|in my winning my case?

I?

Yes, you!

And why am I being taken up|this... stairway?

I'm not being taken for a ride, am I?

- What a suggestion!|- Take that bit of barley sugar away.

I don't like it or your suggestions!|I'll go back before it's too late.

Peter! Peter!

Peter!

Peter...!

Peter!

Peter, come back!

Peter, Peter!

Peter!

Peter, Peter!

Come back!

- Peter!|- (June) Peter, come back!

(June) Peter, come back!

Peter! Peter, come back!

Peter! Peter!

Come back!

Peter, Peter, come back!

- (thunder)|- Peter! Peter!

Peter, my darling, come back to me!

He almost got me!

(thunder)

(thunder)

(wind howls)

He'll be all right in a moment.

Why isn't the ambulance here?|It was due half an hour ago.

Phone Dr McEwen, say we must|operate tonight. It's life or death.

Tell him about the ambulance.|Telegraph his mother and two sisters.

- Yes, Doctor.|- That's all.

Now, Peter...

- Where's June?|- Phoning. Back in a moment.

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Michael Powell

Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English film director, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company "The Archers", they together wrote, produced and directed a series of classic British films, notably 49th Parallel (1941), The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), A Matter of Life and Death (1946, also called Stairway to Heaven), Black Narcissus (1947), The Red Shoes (1948), and The Tales of Hoffmann (1951). His later controversial 1960 film Peeping Tom, while today considered a classic, and a contender as the first "slasher", was so vilified on first release that his career was seriously damaged.Many film-makers such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and George A. Romero have cited Powell as an influence. In 1981, he received the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award along with his partner Pressburger, the highest honour the British Film Academy can give a filmmaker. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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