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47-591: The event began in 1946, as the Royal Command Film Performance , with a screening of A Matter of Life and Death . The charity first received Royal Patronage in 1936, and so the idea of a Royal screening was born. The original date of the first event was 18 October 1939 and it was to be called the Royal Cine-Variety Performance, but it was postponed due to the outbreak of World War II . The " Royal Command " name

94-642: A "definitive fantasy classic" and also as "essential viewing." The Academy Film Archive preserved A Matter of Life and Death in 1999. The film underwent a 4K restoration at Sony Pictures Entertainment for a 2018 Criterion Collection blu-ray release. According to Powell in his A Life in Movies , the United States was the only market in which the film's name was changed, except that most European countries used "A Question of Life and Death" rather than "A Matter of Life and Death". The American title

141-533: A broad escalator linking Earth to the afterlife . In 1999, A Matter of Life and Death placed 20th on the British Film Institute 's list of Best 100 British films . It ranked 90th in The Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time 2012 poll, regarded by some as the most authoritative in the world, and 78th in 2022 . In 1945, Squadron Leader Peter Carter, a Royal Air Force pilot,

188-438: A chess book Peter has accidentally knocked off the table, Alekhine 's My Best Games of Chess 1924–1937 . After the trial is won, Conductor 71 throws the book from the stairway; June finds it in his jacket pocket "to serve the 'was it a hallucination or did it really happen?' motif of the film", according to Mig Greengard . He also noted, "Lots of chess in movies past and present, but I can't recall another prominent appearance of

235-400: A defendant may also raise a defense of justification – such as self-defense and defense of others or defense of property . In English law , one could raise the argument of a contramandatum , which was an argument that the plaintiff had no cause for complaint. The defense in a homicide case may attempt to present evidence of the victim's character, to try to prove that the victim had

282-492: A defense is raised by the defendant in a direct attempt to avoid what would otherwise result in liability, the defendant typically holds the burden of proof . For example, a defendant who is charged with assault may claim provocation , but they would need to prove that the plaintiff had provoked the defendant. In common law , a defendant may raise any of the numerous defenses to limit or avoid liability. These include: In addition to defenses against prosecution and liability,

329-530: A history of violence or of making threats of violence that suggest a violent character. The goal of presenting character evidence about the victim may be to make more plausible a claim of self-defense , or in the hope of accomplishing jury nullification in which a jury acquits a guilty defendant despite its belief that the defendant committed a criminal act. Litigation is expensive and often may last for months or years. Parties can finance their litigation and pay for their attorneys' fees or other legal costs in

376-424: A real chess book". Ian Christie wrote, "the chess plot may also be of more significance than at first appears. The Conductor tries to tempt Peter by offering him the opportunity to pit his skill against the great chess masters, including Philidor ; and he 'borrows' Alekhine's famous book, only to return it in an extraordinary transitional shot which introduces the final sequence of Peter waking up in hospital. As

423-522: A symptom of a brain injury—chronic adhesive arachnoiditis from a slight concussion two years earlier—and he is scheduled for surgery. Reeves is killed in a motorcycle accident while trying to find the ambulance that is to take Peter to the hospital. Reeves' death allows him to act as Peter's counsel . Reeves argues that, through no fault of his own, his client was given additional time on Earth and that, during that time, he has fallen in love and now has an earthly commitment that should take precedence over

470-726: A token of Peter's life, the book tumbles from one photographic world to another within the same shot". The film was twice adapted for the American CBS Radio series Lux Radio Theatre , both with the title "Stairway to Heaven", starring Ray Milland on 27 October 1947 (episode 587) and featuring David Niven on 12 April 1955 (episode 918). The film was also adapted for the American NBC Radio series Screen Director's Playhouse series as "Stairway to Heaven", airing on 26 July 1951 and starring Robert Cummings and Julie Adams . A two-part adaptation by Ben Cottam

517-468: Is a 1946 British fantasy - romance film set in England during World War II . Written, produced and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger , the film stars David Niven , Roger Livesey , Raymond Massey , Kim Hunter and Marius Goring . The film was originally released in the United States under the title Stairway to Heaven , which derived from the film's most prominent special effect :

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564-480: Is flying a badly damaged and burning Lancaster bomber over the English Channel , after a mission over Germany . Carter is expecting to die, after ordering his crew to bail out, without revealing to them that his own parachute has been destroyed. The only radio operator receiving him is June, at a United States Army Air Forces base on the coast of England. Carter converses with June, before jumping from

611-535: Is made up of representatives who are prejudiced against the British. In fairness, the jury is replaced by a multicultural mixture of modern Americans whose origins are as varied as those they replace. Reeves and Farlan both make comparisons with the other's nationality to support their positions. In the end, Reeves has June take the stand (Conductor 71 makes her fall asleep in the real world so she can testify) and prove that she genuinely loves Peter by telling her that

658-432: Is noticeably modernist . It features a vast and open plan, with huge circular observation holes, beneath which the clouds of Earth can be seen. This vision was later the inspiration for the design of St.Paul's Bus Station, Walsall in 2000, by architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris . The film's amphitheatre court scene was rendered by BT in a TV advertisement c. 2002 as a metaphor for communication technology, especially

705-403: Is put forward by a party to defeat a suit or action brought against the party, and may be based on legal grounds or on factual claims. Besides contesting the accuracy of an allegation made against the defendant in the proceeding, the defendant may also make allegations against the prosecutor or plaintiff or raise a defense, arguing that, even if the allegations against the defendant are true,

752-512: Is seen in the film serving as the conductor for Dr Reeves. The film was originally suggested by a British government department to improve relations between the Americans in the UK and the British public, following Powell and Pressburger's contributions to this sphere in A Canterbury Tale two years earlier, though neither film received any government funding nor input on plot or production. There

799-683: The Empire Theatre , in London, in the presence of George VI and his wife . The performance was in aid of the Cinematograph Trade Benevolent Fund and £30,000 (£1.57 million in 2023 pounds ) was raised. It then went into general release in the UK on 15 December 1946. The film subsequently had its US release in New York on 25 December 1946 under the name Stairway to Heaven . According to trade papers,

846-628: The Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on 13 November 2024. The event was attended by His Majesty King Charles III . Queen Camilla planned to attend with the King but ultimately cancelled due to a chest infection. This article about a European film festival is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a British festival is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . A Matter of Life and Death (film) A Matter of Life and Death

893-447: The "other world" as supernatural, within the context of the film's narrative, may be supported by elements of the plot. A key question, which is alluded to in the film's dialogue, concerns the unlikelihood of Carter surviving the fall from his aircraft. (Nevertheless, in a small number of historical cases, people have survived falling from a great height , without suffering serious injury or permanent disability.) Likewise, two scenes set in

940-555: The Internet. Lining the escalator are large statues (created by Eric Aumonier ) of historically prominent men. A list of the names of the statues appears in Michael Powell's handwriting on pages 49 and 50 of the script. They are: Many of these have in common a characteristic beyond their prominence in politics, art and philosophy: in 1945 most were believed to have had epilepsy – as did John Bunyan , who

987-653: The Lancaster without a parachute. Peter should have died at that point, but Conductor 71, the guide sent to escort him to the Other World , misses him in the thick fog over the English Channel . The airman wakes up on a beach near June's base. At first, he assumes he is in the afterlife but, when a de Havilland Mosquito flies low overhead, discovers to his bewilderment that he is still alive. Peter meets June cycling back to her quarters after her night shift, and they fall in love. Conductor 71 stops time to explain

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1034-806: The Other World in black and white added to the complications. They were filmed in Three-strip Technicolor , but colour was not added during printing, giving a pearly hue to the black-and-white shots, a process cited in the screen credits as "Colour and Dye-Monochrome Processed in Technicolor ". This reversed the effect in The Wizard of Oz . Photographic dissolves between "Technicolor Dye-Monochrome" (the Other World) and Three-Strip Technicolor (Earth) are used several times during

1081-487: The afterlife's claim on him. The matter comes to a head—in parallel with Peter's brain surgery—before a celestial court; the camera tracks back from an amphitheatre to reveal that it is as large as a spiral galaxy . The prosecutor is American Abraham Farlan, who hates the British for making him the first casualty of the American Revolutionary War . Reeves challenges the composition of the jury, which

1128-486: The complexity of the production: The huge escalator linking this world with the other, called "Operation Ethel" by the firm of engineers who constructed it under the aegis of the London Passenger Transport Board , took three months to make and cost £3,000, equivalent to £141,000 in 2023. "Ethel" had 106 steps, each 20 feet (6.1 m) wide, and was driven by a 12 hp engine. The full shot

1175-402: The defendant is nevertheless not liable. Acceptance of a defense by the court completely exonerates the defendant and not merely mitigates the liability. The defense phase of a trial occurs after the prosecution phase, that is, after the prosecution "rests". Other parts of the defense include the opening and closing arguments and the cross-examination during the prosecution phase. Since

1222-584: The ending of the Second World War , including It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and Stairway to Heaven (1946), perhaps tapping into so many people's experience of loss of loved ones and offering a kind of consolation." In December 2017, a digitally restored version was shown in British cinemas. Kevin Maher , writing in The Times , said the restoration was "crisp" whilst describing the film as being

1269-549: The film was a "notable box office attraction" at British cinemas in 1947. In 1986, the film was screened out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival . Upon its premiere in New York City, Bosley Crowther said "the delicate charm, the adult humor and visual virtuosity of this Michael Powell—Emeric Pressburger film render it indisputably the best of a batch of Christmas shows ...the wit and agility of

1316-506: The film. The film's narrative does not clarify whether Carter's visions are real, or hallucinatory. The fact that the same actor plays the celestial judge and the brain surgeon tends to indicate that they are a hallucination. To ensure that Carter's symptoms – including his visions – were consistent with the diagnosis and treatment depicted, the filmmakers read and integrated a significant amount of medical research, according to Diane Broadbent Friedman. Interpretations of Carter's visions of

1363-480: The film. There was a nine-month wait for film stock and Technicolor cameras because they were being used by the US Army to make training films. (As Conductor 71 remarks during an early transition, "One is starved for Technicolor up there.") Other sequences also presented challenges, such as the stopped-action table-tennis game for which Hunter and Livesey were trained by champions Alan Brooke and Viktor Barna ;

1410-404: The foreword to the 1946 novelisation by Eric Warman – contains an explicit statement, however: "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", but goes on to say "Any resemblance to any other world known or unknown is purely coincidental". The architecture of the other world

1457-497: The new lifespan granted to the defendant; Reeves calls it "very generous", and Farlan jokingly complains, then agrees to it. The two then engage in supportive banter with one another, and against the stern Chief Recorder, who protests against the breach of law. In the operating room, the masked surgeon (whose face is revealed as that of the Judge) declares the difficult operation a success. In order of appearance: Cast notes: Goring

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1504-511: The only way to save his life is to take his place, whereupon she steps onto the stairway to the Other World without hesitation and is carried away, leaving Peter behind. The stairway comes to an abrupt halt and June rushes back to Peter's open arms. As Reeves triumphantly explains, "... nothing is stronger than the law in the universe, but on Earth, nothing is stronger than love." The jury rules in Peter's favour. The Judge shows Reeves and Farlan

1551-478: The other way round, and the only national bigotry – against the British – is voiced by the first American casualty of the Revolutionary War. Raymond Massey, portraying an American, was a Canadian national at the time the film was made, but became a naturalised American citizen afterwards. David Niven was a fan of chess. Peter and June play chess while they await Dr Reeves. Then Conductor 71 "borrows"

1598-421: The other world take place without Carter, namely Trubshawe's arrival, and the prelude to the start of the trial. A third plot device, regarding a borrowed book, also seems to hint that the other world is real. However, these devices could all be explained as retrospective inventions of Carter's mind, while he is unconscious. The producers took pains never to refer to "the other world" as Heaven , as they felt that

1645-499: The producers, who also wrote and directed the job, is given range through the picture in countless delightful ways: in the use, for instance, of Technicolor to photograph the earthly scenes and sepia in which to vision the hygienic regions of the Beyond (so that the heavenly 'messenger', descending, is prompted to remark, 'Ah, how one is starved for Technicolor up there!'.)" According to a 2006 book, "A spate of movies appeared just after

1692-422: The scene where Carter washes up on the beach, the first scene filmed, where cinematographer Jack Cardiff fogged up the camera lens with his breath to create the look he wanted; and the long, 25-minute trial sequence, which required a set with a 350-foot (110 m) long by 40-foot (12 m) high backcloth. A Matter of Life and Death was chosen for the first ever Royal Film Performance on 1 November 1946 at

1739-487: The situation, urging Peter to accept his death and accompany him to the Other World, but Peter demands an appeal. While Conductor 71 consults his superiors, Peter continues to live. Conductor 71 returns and informs him that he has been granted his appeal and has three days to prepare his case. He can choose a defence counsel from among all the people who have ever died, but he has difficulty picking one. Peter's visions are diagnosed by June's fascinated friend Doctor Reeves as

1786-485: Was a degree of public hostility towards American servicemen stationed in the UK prior to the D-Day invasion of Europe. They were viewed by some as latecomers to the war and as "overpaid, oversexed and over here" by a public that had suffered three years of bombing and rationing, with many of their own men fighting abroad. The premise of the film is a simple inversion: the British pilot gets the pretty American woman rather than

1833-778: Was adapted as the musical Stairway to Heaven at the King's Head in Islington in November 1994. It was also made into a play by the Kneehigh Theatre for performances at the National Theatre in London, premiering in May 2007. Defense (legal) In a civil proceeding or criminal prosecution under the common law or under statute , a defendant may raise a defense (or defence ) in an effort to avert civil liability or criminal conviction. A defense

1880-752: Was an old drinking buddy of Niven's and he was given a cameo in this picture by Niven. A Matter of Life and Death was filmed at D&P Studios and Denham Studios in Denham, Buckinghamshire , England, and on locations in Devon and Surrey. The beach scene was shot at Saunton Sands in Devon, and the village seen in the camera obscura was Shere in Surrey. Production took place from 2 September to 2 December 1945, used 29 sets, and cost an estimated £320,000, equivalent to £15.1 million in 2023. A Matter of Life and Death had an extensive pre-production period due to

1927-513: Was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 14 and 21 October 2023. Produced and directed by Simon Barnard, the cast included Will Tudor as Peter, Lydia West as June, Geoffrey McGivern as Reeves, Miles Jupp as Administrator 48 and Jonny Weldon as Bob Trubshawe. An adaptation titled "Stairway to Heaven" aired as a live performance on the American television show Robert Montgomery Presents on 9 April 1951 on NBC , starring Richard Greene . The film

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1974-539: Was changed from 1949, to Royal Film Performance, on the basis that the choice of film was that of the CTBF rather than the Royal Family. There was no performance between 2015 and 2019 while the CTBF was reformed as The Film and Television Charity. There was no event in 2020 or 2021 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic . The most recent Royal Film Performance was the global premiere of Ridley Scott 's Gladiator II at

2021-465: Was completed by hanging miniatures . It has been claimed that the noise of the machinery prevented recording the soundtrack live – all scenes with the escalator were dubbed in post-production. However, in an interview incorporated into the Carlton DVD release, cinematographer Jack Cardiff recalls his surprise that it operated completely silently. The decision to film the scenes of

2068-477: Was in a play in New York at the time. The suggestion of Kim Hunter came from Alfred Hitchcock , who had recently used her to read lines from behind the camera for Ingrid Bergman 's screen test for Spellbound . Hunter had stage experience and had been under contract to David O. Selznick for two years. Powell and Pressburger decided that she was right for the part almost immediately on their first meeting, and arranged with Selznick to use her. Michael Trubshawe

2115-496: Was offered the role of the Conductor, but insisted that he wanted to play Peter instead; however, Powell and Pressburger were set on Niven playing the part, and eventually told Goring that the Conductor was his only choice: if he turned it down, they would approach Peter Ustinov to play the part. Powell and Pressburger went to Hollywood to cast the role of June with no possible actress in mind except, possibly, Betty Field , who

2162-448: Was restrictive. However, in the first minutes of the film, a very young Richard Attenborough appears as a dead airman registering in the "other world" and asking: "It's heaven, isn't it?", while new arrivals are being measured for angel wings. This is followed by the "other world" female attendant commenting to Flying Officer Trubshawe that some people might think it would be "heaven to be a clerk". An introductory title screen – repeated as

2209-491: Was the idea of Arthur Krim and Robert Benjamin , two lawyers just starting out in the film business, who would be marketing the film in the US, and insisted that no film had ever done well there with the word "death" in the title. When Pressburger countered with the hit film Death Takes a Holiday , their response was to point out that it succeeded because the very fact that Death was on holiday meant that there would be no death in

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