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Title: Stairway to Heaven (1946)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| David Niven | ... | ||
| Kim Hunter | ... | ||
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Robert Coote | ... |
Bob
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| Kathleen Byron | ... |
An Angel
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| Richard Attenborough | ... |
An English Pilot
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Bonar Colleano | ... |
An American Pilot
(as Bonor Colleano)
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Joan Maude | ... |
Chief Recorder
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Marius Goring | ... |
Conductor 71
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| Roger Livesey | ... |
Doctor Reeves
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Robert Atkins | ... |
The Vicar
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Bob Roberts | ... |
Dr. Gaertler
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Edwin Max | ... |
Dr. Mc.Ewen
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Betty Potter | ... |
Mrs. Tucker
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Abraham Sofaer | ... |
The Judge
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| Raymond Massey | ... | ||
Storyline
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. Written by John Oswalt <jao@jao.com>
Taglines:
The Greatest Experience In The Emotion Of Love! See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »Details
Country:
UKRelease Date:
March 1947 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Stairway to Heaven See more »Box Office
Budget:
£320,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1Did You Know?
Goofs
The prologue narrator refers to stars and regions of gas between them, then says that "the starlight makes the gas transparent, and where there are no stars, it appears as dark obscuring clouds." Transparency is actually caused not by starlight but by the absence of dust; starlight will either have no effect on the appearance of gas, or will cause it to be illuminated or perhaps to fluoresce. Dark obscuring clouds are those that contain dust and are not illuminated. See more »Crazy Credits
Foreword (Scrolled up the screen at the start of the film): This is the story of two worlds, the one we know and another which exists only in the mind... of a young airman whose life and imagination have been violently shaped by war. [Pauses, then scrolls up to reveal] Any resemblance to any other world, known or unknown, is purely coincidental. See more »Soundtracks
"Shoo Shoo Baby"(1943) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Phil Moore
Sung on the radio by an unidentified man at the trial
See more »
A Matter of Life and Death, what can you really say that would properly do justice to the genius and beauty of this film. Powell and Pressburger's visual imagination knows no bounds, every frame is filled with fantastically bold compositions. The switches between the bold colours of "the real world" to the stark black and white of heaven is ingenious, showing us visually just how much more vibrant life is. The final court scene is also fantastic, as the judge and jury descend the stairway to heaven to hold court over Peter (David Niven)'s operation.
All of the performances are spot on (Roger Livesey being a standout), and the romantic energy of the film is beautiful, never has there been a more romantic film than this (if there has I haven't seen it). A Matter of Life and Death is all about the power of love and just how important life is. And Jack Cardiff's cinematography is reason enough to watch the film alone, the way he lights Kim Hunter's face makes her all the more beautiful, what a genius, he can make a simple things such as a game of table tennis look exciting. And the sound design is also impeccable; the way the sound mutes at vital points was a decision way ahead of its time
This is a true classic that can restore anyone's faith in cinema, under appreciated on its initial release and by today's audiences, but one of my all time favourites, which is why I give this film a 10/10, in a word - Beautiful.