A Matter of Life and Death
A British pilot survives a plane crash, meets a US servicewoman and falls in love. In heaven, however, a mistake is discovered.
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.
Peter then 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 mix-up in heaven - they couldn't find him in all that fog. By the time his 'conductor' catches up with him, 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.
On TV
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Peter D Carter | David Niven |
| June | Kim Hunter |
| Doctor Reeves | Roger Livesey |
| Conductor 71 | Marius Goring |
| Bob | Robert Coote |
| An Angel | Kathleen Byron |
| An English Pilot | Richard Attenborough |
| An American Pilot | Bonar Colleano |
| Chief Recorder | Joan Maude |
| Producer | Michael Powell |
| Producer | Emeric Pressburger |
| Writer | Emeric Pressburger |
| Writer | Michael Powell |
| Director | Michael Powell |
| Director | Emeric Pressburger |
Broadcasts
- Sun 3 Feb 2019 13:50
- Wed 4 Sep 2019 15:30
- Mon 7 Sep 2020 14:30BBC Two except Scotland
- Sun 14 Feb 2021 14:15BBC Two except Scotland
- Sat 10 Dec 2022 14:00BBC Two except Scotland
- Sun 5 Feb 2023 14:45BBC Two except Scotland
- Sat 11 Nov 2023 12:35BBC Two except Scotland
- Sat 6 Apr 2024 13:00BBC Two except Scotland, Wales & Wales HD
- Sat 23 Nov 2024 12:35BBC Two except Scotland
Thu 28 Nov 2024 20:30- Sat 31 Jan 2026 12:40BBC Two except Scotland
- Next Saturday 10:15BBC Two except Scotland
Featured in...
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Films
Evocative, heartwarming, compelling - Films on BBC Two.
Desert Island Discs: Powell & Pressburger
Listen as Roy Plomley's castaways are producers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.
The Essay: A Matter of Life and Death
Listen to Richard Coles discuss the classic Powell and Pressburger film.
Sound of Cinema: Powell and Pressburger
Matthew Sweet introduces music from the films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.