Sunday 1 August 2010

A Matter Of Life And Death

Classic 1946 piece from Powell and Pressburger. Well told, with an impressive storyline, top notch performances and some interesting visuals and set dressing.
The story rattles along at a decent enough pace. The dual nature of it is nicely kept in the air. David Niven is particularly excellent, there are a few double-take bizarre scenes which suggests a kind of psychosexual underlay, but this all adds to the fun.
The scenes in 'heaven' really set the tone for much of how 'heaven' has been filmed, and are a fun change (as are the chats Niven has with the messenger). It's all a bit obvious, but reasonably moving all the same, especially the wonderful switching/shadow opening scene.
A fine watch.

No comments:

Post a Comment