Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

A Matter of Life and Death

  • TV Movie
  • 1981
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
47
YOUR RATING
A Matter of Life and Death (1981)
Drama

The true story of a nurse who spent her life caring for terminally ill patients.The true story of a nurse who spent her life caring for terminally ill patients.The true story of a nurse who spent her life caring for terminally ill patients.

  • Director
    • Russ Mayberry
  • Writer
    • Lane Slate
  • Stars
    • Linda Lavin
    • Salome Jens
    • Gail Strickland
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    47
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Russ Mayberry
    • Writer
      • Lane Slate
    • Stars
      • Linda Lavin
      • Salome Jens
      • Gail Strickland
    • 2User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Photos

    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Linda Lavin
    Linda Lavin
    • Nurse Joy Ufema
    Salome Jens
    Salome Jens
    • Murphy
    Gail Strickland
    Gail Strickland
    • Mary Coggins
    Ramon Bieri
    Ramon Bieri
    • Kutzreba
    Larry Breeding
    Larry Breeding
    Gerald S. O'Loughlin
    Gerald S. O'Loughlin
    • Mr. Duffy
    John Bennett Perry
    John Bennett Perry
    • Shad Fleming
    Tyne Daly
    Tyne Daly
    • Donna
    Peter Donat
    Peter Donat
    • Dr. Whedon
    John Lawlor
    John Lawlor
    • Bud Coggins
    J. Pat O'Malley
    J. Pat O'Malley
    • Mr. McBain
    Ben Piazza
    Ben Piazza
    • Dr. Laurie
    William Prince
    William Prince
    • Dr. Burgess
    Jacqueline Scott
    Jacqueline Scott
    • Sally Lyons
    Barbara Cason
    Barbara Cason
    • Nurse Barnes
    Sarina C. Grant
    • Sarah Oakes
    Ernie Hudson
    Ernie Hudson
    • Mr. Harrison
    Alley Mills
    Alley Mills
    • Allison Cross
    • Director
      • Russ Mayberry
    • Writer
      • Lane Slate
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    A Matter of Life and Death
    5.1
    A Matter of Life and Death
    Stairway to Heaven
    8.0
    Stairway to Heaven
    A Matter of Life and Death
    Another Woman's Child
    5.8
    Another Woman's Child
    The $5.20 an Hour Dream
    7.2
    The $5.20 an Hour Dream
    A Place to Call Home
    6.9
    A Place to Call Home
    Face of a Stranger
    6.5
    Face of a Stranger
    Like Mom, Like Me
    6.1
    Like Mom, Like Me
    The Women's Room
    7.1
    The Women's Room
    Intimate Strangers
    6.5
    Intimate Strangers
    Scorsese on 'A Matter of Life and Death'
    5.6
    Scorsese on 'A Matter of Life and Death'
    Execution of Justice
    5.8
    Execution of Justice

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The production of the Lorimar MOW "A Matter of Life and Death" project was produced by the Lorimar Television division located on the Culver City-MGM Film lot. The MGM Studios art department offices/drafting room facilities had been taken over by the Lorimar Production Services division. Lorimar production manager Edward O. Denault's production services division was the following: Richard "Dick" Hamond was Lorimar's supervising art director. Hamond hired the art director, staffed and supervised the art department affiliated staff, which included set designers, model builders, illustrators, and allied staff. The Lorimar property department manager was Pierre Bouvet, who hired the set decorator, responsible for hiring the set decorator's lead person, swing-gang-crews, property master, 2nd property master and additional personnel. Pierre maintained Lorimar property offices, furniture and prop room (furniture storage), sign shop and drapery; Paul Wurtzel was head of the Lorimar construction, paint and special effects department, with Jerry Esposito Jr. as his assistant coordinating construction manager/supervisor. MGM Studios maintained the MGM Mill, special effects, property, paint and MGM drapery department during the same period of Lorimar's move onto the studio's property. Lorimar's deal arrangement with the MGM Studio established a financial relationship requiring Lorimar to pay MGM an additional charge for the use of any MGM department and stage in their Lorimar rental contract. Because of any incurred production costs remaining on the MGM lot, The "A Matter of Life and Death" production offices were set up off the lot. The project did not rent stage facilities, filming the entire MOW on locations, all located primarily in downtown vacant L.A. office buildings. The width of hospital corridors and room interiors doors were technical problems because corridor doors were the normal 36" wide x 6'x 8" hight, preventing hospital hardware equipment and camera dolly tracks moving into the rooms. Hospital gurneys could only dress against the corridor walls. The art director Hub Braden, and set decorator Don Remacle, had their office in the MGM art department, located above the MGM commissary. The MOW's construction/paint crews were based out of one of the MGM stages Lorimar used for the film series "Knot's Landing"; Jerry Esposito's construction/paint crews prepared all location set fabrication wall units, to be installed at the locations, including counter units, supply materials, could be assembled and constructed, primed and painted, then loaded onto transportation, moved to the individual location sights. Both property and special effects crews used the same "Knot's Landing" stage as a staging point. Lorimar construction could have use of the MGM mill facility, but an extra studio charge would have been incurred; not using an MGM stage not under Lorimar contract prevented overage costs in the MOW's show budget. Rental location fees were cheaper than for a stage rental and full set construction. The same art department staff, production designer Hub Braden, set decorator Don Remacle, and the Lorimar departments were pulled back together for another Lorimar Emmy nominated MOW project "A Death In California" a year later, which again was entirely filmed on Southern California locations. Filming occurred in Brentwood residences, a ranch and residence in Santa Monica Canyons, Calabasas, and utilizing existing jail interiors on independent rental stages.

    User reviews2

    Review
    Review

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 13, 1981 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Aprender a morir
    • Production companies
      • Big Deal
      • Lorimar Productions
      • Raven's Claw Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 44 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.