A Matter of Life and Death Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		5.0

A Matter of Life and Death Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 22, 2018

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's "A Matter of Life and Death" (1946) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new video interview with filmmaker Thelma Shoonmaker; new video program with special effects supervisor and film historian Craig Baron and visual effects artist Harrison Ellenshaw; archival video piece with Martin Scorsese; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Stephanie Zacharek's essay "The Too-Muchness of it all and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

So long, I am going down.

The folks that would tirelessly argue that some of the most beautiful films ever made were shot in Technicolor do so precisely because of masterpieces like Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s A Matter of Life and Death. The blending of striking artistry and spectacular colors such as the one that is on full display in A Matter of Life and Death is just too powerful and ensures a type of cinematic experience that is indeed very special.

In the midst of WWII, British pilot Peter Carter (David Niven) gets his plane shot during a dangerous mission. As the plane begins burning, Carter is able to establish contact with June (Kim Hunter), an American radio dispatcher stationed in England. He reveals to her that even though he does not have a functional parachute he is going to eject himself so that he does not get fried, which prompts the deeply moved dispatcher to confess that she could have loved a hero like him. Her words have an equally profound effect on Carter, and before he jumps he casually declares that he has fallen in love with her. Not too long after that Carter wakes up on a beautiful beach, without a single wound on his body, and assumes that he has arrived in Heaven. After a quick exchange with a local boy, however, he realizes that he is still alive, and in fact not too far away from where June is stationed. Just like that the two then meet and, as they have wished, fall madly in love. But while enjoying each other’s company the lovers are disrupted by a funny talking and quite extravagant Frenchman (Marius Goring) who reveals to Carter that he has been tasked to correct an error and reunite him with his fallen comrades in the Other World. At first Carter tries to convince himself that the Frenchman is only an eccentric joker having a bit of fun, but when his mind begins playing some quite odd tricks on him and exactly as the Frenchman predicts it would he becomes worried. Shortly after, he contacts Dr. Frank Reeves (Roger Livesey) to examine him and diagnose his condition.

A Matter of Life and Death is a fantasy film for adults of the highest caliber. It effortlessly does what all great fantasy films do -- it temporarily transports its audience to an imaginary place and then while it lasts makes the impossible look possible. It is really this simple.

Behind this simplicity, however, there is an incredible cinematic vision and understanding of how to create a film that essentially disables the mind’s instinctive desire to either question or flat-out reject everything that it cannot instantly rationalize. Indeed, despite the abundance of fantasy material the film is so engaging and at the same time so indescribably beautiful that the mind is left with no other option but to accept its manufactured reality and then even become comfortable with it. Truly, there are not that many films that could pull off this trick.

The film also has a spectacular sense of humor. Powell and Pressburger’s script overflows with exceptionally well-timed hilarious remarks and equally effective flirty jabs that actually over time greatly enhance the images of the principal characters.

Of course the genius of cinematographer Jack Cardiff is an essential element of the film’s visual brilliance. The camera positioning, the particular lighting choices and their impact on color management and the appearance of Alfred Junge's fantastic set pieces, as well as the smart ‘overlapping’ of the time that the pilot is frequently pulled in and out of make viewing the film quite an extraordinary experience.

A Matter of Life and Death Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

This new digital restoration, supervised by Grover Crisp, was created in 4K resolution at Sony Pictures Entertainment. The original 35mm three-strip Technicolor negatives were scanned at Cineric in New York on the facility's proprietary 4K high-dynamic-range wet-gate film scanner. An earlier photochemical restoration -- by Sony Pictures Entertainment, the British Film Institute, and the Academy Film Archive, wit the participation of Jack Cardiff -- was used as a color reference. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from a 35mm nitrate variable-density optical soundtrack print at Deluxe Audio Services in Hollywood, using the iZotope mastering suite in addition to Capstan for music wow.

Restoration supervisor: Grover Crisp.
Consultant: Thelma Schoonmaker.
Colorist: Sheri Eisenberg/Deluxe Culver City, CA.
Digital restoration: L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna, Italy; additional digital restoration was performed at Deluxe and MTI Film, Hollywood.
Audio engineer: Jim Young/Deluxe.
Audio engineering assistance: Brian Jensen/Deluxe."

The quality of the new 4K restoration of A Matter of Life and Death is every bit as impressive as that of the one that was completed for The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp a few years earlier. Apparently there were a number of serious challenges that the condition of the aged materials presented, but I think that the end result is truly sensational.

In terms of depth and clarity, the consistency on display is of the highest caliber. Indeed, the visuals boast exceptional density and delineation is about as good as one could expect from a film from the 1940s. Image stability is also excellent, at times making it quite difficult to believe that the film is in fact many decades old. Perhaps the most striking improvements, however, are in the area of color reproduction. I have seen this film numerous times over the years and I can assure you that the new color scheme is indeed pure perfection. Color alignment is so good that there are areas where because of it detail is actually dramatically improved. Also, the rich Technicolor saturation with the proper nuances that were absent on previous releases are on full display here (see examples in screencaptures #3, 6 and 12). The entire film has also been thoroughly cleaned up and there isn't even a whiff of age-related imperfections. Absolutely fantastic restoration. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

A Matter of Life and Death Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The losless track is excellent. Clearly, a lot of work must have been done to improve stability and optimize clarity because the consistency of the excellent quality is very impressive. There is a proper range of nuanced dynamic as well.

A Matter of Life and Death Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction by Martin Scorsese - in this video piece, Martin Scorsese introduces A Matter of Life and Death and discusses the unique artistic style of its creators. The piece was filmed in 2008. In English, not subtitled. (10 min, 1080p).

• Thelma Schoonmaker - in this new video interview, Thelma Schoonmaker, widow of director Michael Powell, discusses the history of A Matter of Life and Death and the socio-political environment at the time, as well as some of the film's special qualities. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in March, 2018. In English, not subtitled. (33 min, 1080p).

• The Colour Merchant - presented here is a short documentary about the life and legacy of the great cinematographer Jack Cardiff which was created by Craig McCall while he was working on Cameraman: The Life & Work of Jack Cardiff in 2010. The documentary features clips from an excellent archival interview with Cardiff in which he discusses his work on A Matter of Life and Death. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• Special Effects - in this new video program. special effects supervisor and film historian Craig Baron and visual effects artist Harrison Ellenshaw discuss the visual style of A Matter of Life and Death and the use of some very specific special effects, as well as the contribution of production designer Alfred Junge. In English, not subtitled. (32 min, 1080p).

• The South Bank Show: "Michael Powell" (1986) - this archival documentary was directed by David Hinton and hosted by Melvyn Bragg. It features archival interviews in which director Michael Powell discusses his passion for cinema and the evolution of his work over the years. In English, not subtitled. (55 min, 1080p).

• Restoration Demonstration - this visual demonstration highlights some of the many dramatic improvements that were made during the recent 4K restoration of A Matter of Life and Death. (5 min, 1080p).

• Audio Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by film historian Ian Christie in 2009 and also appeared on the North American DVD release of A Matter of Life and Death. There is an abundance of information that addresses the film's production history, its composition and visual style, the legacy of The Archers, etc.

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Stephanie Zacharek's essay "The Too-Muchness of it all and technical credits.

A Matter of Life and Death Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This truly special film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger desperately needed a proper makeover so that it can look as spectacular as its creators had intended. The new 4K restoration that was completed at Sony Pictures and used to produce this upcoming Blu-ray release is the definitive presentation that fans of A Matter of Life and Death had hoped will materialize. It is an absolute stunner. As usual, the folks at Criterion have also compiled an excellent selection of exclusive new and archival bonus features to complement the terrific technical presentation. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.