A Matter of Life and Death
(a.k.a. Stairway to Heaven)
1946
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) based on Harry Segall’s play Heaven Can Wait
Heaven Can Wait (1943) with Don Ameche based on Lazlo Bus-Fekete’s play Birthday
Heaven Can Wait (1978) Warren Beatty based on Harry Segall’s play Heaven Can Wait
Jack Cardiff’s first appearance and cinematographer with Archers
Kim Hunter (played wife to be of Bob in American version of A Canterbury Tale) Had been a stand in for Ingrid Bergman and was recommended to the Archers by Hitchcock
Livesey in third appearance in Archers’ film
The story is based on an event that was reported in the German papers to have happened to an British flier – he survived a fall from a plane without a parachute.
By the time the film is made the war is over ( Japan (VJ Day – August 14 (US),15 (Japan) documents signed Sept.2 and VG Day May 7/8 1945 document signed on 7 in France, 8 in Berlin
Many changes in Britain. Labor government appears. Strong drive to socialism.
In terms of history. The war has ended but not the problems. There had been wide spread deprivation and sacrifice by the British during the war. They had amassed a large debt, and America had dropped its lend/lease program which was mentioned in A Canterbury Tale.
Was all the sacrifice worth it? Does it pay off?
Britain was in serious trouble at the end of the war and was worried about what would happen with its relationship with the US which was now a dominant power in world affairs. MOI is looking for some film that will make sure the relationship between the US and Britain does not sour. There have been grumblings about Britain’s “empire” and “colonial approach”.
RELATIONSHIP WITH U.S.
The Lend-Lease Act: Background:
The United States ewmained neutral at the outbreak of the war in 1939. When Nazi Germany started to win a number of victories in Europe, the American president President Franklin Roosevelt began to try to help Great Britain and still stay clear of the conflict. The Neutrality Acts constrained the US since they limited the sale of arms on a "cash and carry" basis to belligerents, Roosevelt declared a huge number of US weapons and ammunition to be a "surplus" and thus allowed for their shipment to Britain in mid-1940.
Roosevelt also negotiated t with Prime Minister Winston Churchill to obtain leases for naval bases and airfields in British possessions across the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic coast of Canada. These discussions ultimately resulted in the "Destroyers for Bases" program in September 1940. Asa result of the agreement 50 surplus American destroyers transferred to the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy in return for which the US got rent-free, 99-year leases on various military installations. Although the Germans were driven back during the Battle of Britain, the British were pressured by the Germans on other fronts. (Remember the comments about "lend-lease" made by Sgt. Bob in A Conterbury Take in which he says that "isolationists" were against the idea.
When the war ended, there was a question about American support and also whether the lend lease program would continue through the reconstruction of Britain. AFTER THE FILM
Casting:
David Niven’s return to the screen after several years of being in the military (released for 2 propaganda films) He will appear in 1956 in Separate Tables with both Deborah Kerr and Wendy Hiller who replaced one another in Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and I know Where I’m Going!. Wendy Hiller is the one who says they should eat at separate tables in Tobermory!
Raymond Massey, whom we saw in 49th Parallel as the soldier in the train, is a native of Canada became well known for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln and so had some very strong intertextual iconography. Massey also appeared in Korda’s epic film Things to Come
Kim Hunter an American performer who is reported to have been a stand in for Ingrid Bergman for Alfred Hitchcock, was recommended to Powell by Hitchcock. Powell used her in the American version of A Canterbury Tale as the wife of Sgt. Bob who appears in the scenes which bookend the story. It was important to have an American actress play the part for the American distribution. NOTICE that she comes from Boston, the very area of the American Revolution’s beginnings.
Roger Livesey (third appearance in an “Film by the Archers”
Technical Crew
Alfred Junge (production design)
Alan Gray (composer)
The Opening
Again, atypical opening of the film something like Lothar Mendes & Alexander Korda’s The Man Who Could Work Miracles (Korda uncredit director and credited producer)– some of his films you should be familiar with other than the ones involving Powel/ Pressburger:
Things to Come (1936)
Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936) (also opens in the heavens – other films? Night of the Hunter, etc.)
Fire of England (1937)
Elephant Boy (1937)
The Drum (aka Drums) (1938)
Thief of Bagdad (1940)
Thematic Material
Fate and love (also seen in I Know Where I’m Going)
Border crossings (between life and death) Not the first story – Orpheus and Eurydice, Alceste sometimes associated with horror The Mummy (1931) Zita Johann called back from the dead).
Friendship (emotional ties) between people from different backgrounds:
Peter (British) and June (American);
June (American) and Dr. Reeves (British)
Dr. Reeves (British) and Abraham Farlan (American) by the end of the film.
Humor:
Heaven – Coca Cola machine (free) for Americans (rememeber jokes about tea vc soccee in A Canterbury Take
Messenger somewhat peculiar and comical.
Problems with American radio broadcast
Comment about a nova and uranium atom (no rules in war?)
The story is set on a specific date – 2 days before the war ends
What kind of story is this? Allegory (recurrence of chess theme – friendly enemy but also often life/death struggle (see Seventh Seal)
How does the question of addressing US-Britain relationships fit into the film. Joan and Peter Carter are emblematic of America and England.
Importance of Joan being from Boston since it allows the higher struggle about US-BRITISH relationship to be paralleled. New England is also the site of the start of the American revolution.
Many people killed or wounded. Loss of friends, colleagues and so on. Nice to see them around in heaven
Avoidance of specific religious affiliation. No Judeo- Christian iconography. Strong push to show heaven is “egalitarian” all cultures represented. There was some discussion that the film was a salute to German socialism in pushing for society rather than the individual. This has generally been thought of as “pushing” and is generally disregarded. One of the bits of evidence cited was the statue of Plato on the stairway since his leanings were in a similar direction. The film comes down on the side of the “common man” or “uncommon man”
Is the story “fantasy”? Are the images that Peter sees of both Heaven and the conductors real? How can they be? He isn’t in heaven? The opening title talks of two worlds The one we know and the one we don’t. (Earth/Heaven). How does this relate to the film? Ultimately one realizes that the scenes in the afterworld are in fact Peter’s hallucinations. Unknown heaven in monochrome; known earth in color.
Operation is real world, trial is supernatural. Loss of one results in loss of the other.
Jack Cardiff: (SEE DVD CAMERAMAN) Technicolor expert. Very experimental which appealed to the Powell Pressburger team. Will continue with them for several films.
Technicolor film was very slow so depth of field was difficult.
FILM TECHNIQUES
Monochrome: Technicolor film with color removed. Gives pearly white color.
Shift between color and blackand white not new. Examples:
King of Kings 1927 (after resurrection)
Wizard of Oz (1939)
Memento (2000)
Opening with people – all close ups. Nothing else in the world but the two people.
Subjective shots at the end and in the ahllucinations. More and more Peter’s point of view – moving through hospital. I finally internalized as we see from inside his head as his eyes close.
End of film very difficult. Rather talky and not much opportunity for photographic story telling.
Attempts to address the problems with the British Empire raised by US – people from different cultures, men and women etc.