Send me deals for
 
Close
Skip this ad »
Rotten Tomatoes Logo Do you want to see ‘A Matter of Life and Death (Stairwa...’?
A Matter of Life and Death (Stairway to Heaven)

A Matter of Life and Death (Stairway to Heaven) (1946)

tomatometer

No Score Yet...

Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 1
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 0

audience

93

liked it
Average Rating: 4.4/5
User Ratings: 6,159

My Rating

Movie Info

Jerry Andrus spent a life dealing with magic and inventions. This documentary features an extended interview with him while he shows off many of the devices that he patented during a life that lasted nearly ninety years. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Jun 24, 2008

Universal Pictures

Cast

All Critics (23) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (20) | Rotten (1) | DVD (5)

What today's audiences will find amazing is the sheer energy of its invention.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | Comment
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Although it's undeniably a great-looking film, I just found A Matter of Life and Death to be too harebrained to take seriously as a piece of important cinema.

November 8, 2010 Full Review Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune | Comment

Though the writer-directors and the actors may be the first names you notice, the cameraman also helped A Matter of Life and Death become one of the most moving movies ever made.

September 19, 2010 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | Comment
Slant Magazine

The duo put so much care and love into the film that in the end we know they're right: Love really is the greatest of all virtues.

February 22, 2009 Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | Comment
Filmcritic.com

In spite of its thematic bleakness, A Matter of Life and Death succeeds in being a sparkling fantasy picture ....

February 9, 2009 Full Review Source: DVD Review | Comment
DVD Review

A Matter of Life and Death / Age of Consent Michael Powell Collector's edition review.

January 9, 2009 Comment
Buzzine Magazine

(The filmmakers') creativity is both fantastic and organic, their imagery spellbinding and gorgeous, and their scripting clever and witty.

January 5, 2009 Comment
Parallax View

Pretty bizarre fantasy set in WWII era starring David Niven.

March 2, 2008 Comment
Video-Reviewmaster.com

A very pleasing fantasy film from the team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

September 18, 2005 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | Comment
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

One of the most enchanting movies you'll ever have the pleasure to see.

February 28, 2005 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | Comment
Combustible Celluloid

Probably Powell and Pressburger's best film.

December 4, 2002 Comment
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for A Matter of Life and Death (Stairway to Heaven)

A lament for the dead and an exquisite fairy tale for the living. I would have loved to have been a Brit in the time when this movie was released. Rarely do you see such national pride on display with such heart and such technical majesty that you forgive the moments that could be seen as pro-west propaganda.

November 30, 2011
axadntpron
Reid Volk

Super Reviewer

Yet another magnificent, beautiful film from the Archers. I'm starting to run out of ways to properly convey the genius of Powell/Pressburger's ouerve. A Matter of Life and Death just continues to prove that their canon is truly one of cinema's greatest treasures. Their visual imagination knows no bounds -- every frame

November 12, 2011
JonathanHutchings
Jonathan Hutchings

Super Reviewer

A Matter of Life and Death (Stairway to Heaven) Quotes

No quotes approved yet for A Matter of Life and Death (Stairway to Heaven). Logged in users can submit quotes.

Latest News for A Matter of Life and Death (Stairway to Heaven)

February 1, 2012:
Five Favorite Films with Daniel Radcliffe
"It's actually a thrill to be talking about something else," Daniel Radcliffe chuckles, pausing to...

What's Hot On RT

Box Office
Box Office

The Avengers stays strong at No. 1

The Words
The Words

Trailer: In bed with Zoe and Bradley

Amazing Spider-Man
Amazing Spider-Man

Video: Your friendly four minute preview

The We and the I
The We and the I

Latest trailer from Michel Gondry

Top Movie Quizzes

LEGO Mania: 2011 Best Picture Nominees
by natalie - 21,917 taken
created 15 months ago
How Much Do You Know About Leonardo DiCaprio?
by natalie - 53,092 taken
created 18 months ago
Pixar Movies!
by jdikwlzviv - 32,274 taken
created 18 months ago
The Wizards of Harry Potter
by jdikwlzviv - 32,853 taken
created 18 months ago

Foreign Titles

  • A Matter of Life and Death (1947) (DE)
  • A Matter of Life and Death (UK)
Help | About | Jobs | Newsletter | Critics Submission | API | Licensing | Mobile