Comparable to The Red Shoes in how it takes melodrama and not only completely and utterly sweeps you up with it so that every single dramatic note hits perfectly but also renders it in a dazzlingly colourful and both beautiful and distinctive manner. Probably about as downright watchable as films can get.

If It's a Wonderful Life were a bit psychedelic, it would look like this: a positive and lovely post-war film, Life and Death stands out for its brilliant imagery and its absorbing last minutes, where an impressive trial takes place.

Interesting ideas, but wasn't really up to the level that I expected. WHY WASN'T THERE A LAWYER-SOCRATES? The fantastical elements were interesting and unique, but didn't make the movie great.

Quite the wonderful film and I thought it might've been a classic in my books due to a fantastic opening sequence. But in the end, the characters really aren't interesting enough to warrant seeing them debate such important themes. And I'm sorry, but the court-room scene is just as boring as hell (ha-ha.)

Is it a spiritual fantasy or a psychological drama? It doesn't actually matter, just enjoy the ride.

The photography, score and story are all incredible - pure magic. The opening sequence is among the best ever put to film. Only the courtroom sequence in the third act weighs down the score. It just doesn't match the majesty of what comes before it.

An ambitious work with an intriguing premise. I couldn't help but think Albert Brooks did this better with Defending Your Life but this is still a fine film. The characters (and actors portraying them) simply weren't compelling enough to warrant this to be a great film. The directing is great and the story is fine but I thought the acting was terrible and I really didn't care about any of the characters.

Quintessentially English film (stiff upper lip, what ho!) about faith and reason, war and love. Wonderfully imaginative in almost all areas, with a great script that manages to mix some fairly weighty issues with a sense of lightness and humour. Some may find the romance a little contrived, but Kim Hunter's sympathetic performance ensures the film doesn't get bogged down with sentimentality.

Impossibly graceful and beautiful. I think this features some of the best Technicolor visuals that I've ever seen. And the interplay between the characters is really fun to watch. It's got a good balance of wit and heart. The parts dealing with English-American relations feel shoehorned in, but it didn't really affect my enjoyment of the story that much.

A really very charming film, with great performances, story and expectant camerawork that's let down only by the trial itself, which is more than a little monotonous and dull. Nevertheless, it's incredibly life-affirming, and has one of the sweetest endings ever.

opening scene is the bomb and david divine is niven.

It's like a Wonderful Life but of lesser degree. It's very imaginative and very nice to look at. The trial scenes are the most arresting sequences. Love is life and what is life without love.

I bought into the romance and the (melo)drama. The trial was pretty brutal, though, as was the "comedic" supporting character.

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Another wacky one from the Coen brothers of their time! Wonderful design, and intriguing use of b&w (why are heaven's officials always portrayed as a bunch of stiffs btw? lol). Also features table tennis and chess, and even references Philidor and Alekhine (although they did pronounce Al's name kinda funny). Still, the paradisiacal aspects are a bit overwrought, with a few lame jokes along the way, and the Massey-Livesey debate got awful bloated (I can see why the film was edited for America).

Hysterical, playful, rich, smart, loud; fun!

So close to being a perfect film. Beautiful, witty, touching, inventive, and life-affirming. The performances are all endearing, Cardiff's work is astounding as usual, the set design is wonderful, the idea of it is intriguing, it all comes together exquisitely. Definitely my favorite film by The Archers. But the trial scene feels like it belongs to entirely different movie. It's awkward and transparent and just plain wrong. Other than that scene, though, I was really thrilled.

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A little soupy when you think about it, but well enough done that you don't when you're watching.

An angel of death(who was a former human who lost his head in the French Revolution) from black and white heaven arrives at pastel earth and utters "one is starved for technicolor up there". Visually impressive as no less is expected, great humor, just passes real greatness by an inch because of some blank scenes that are not of much use. Just bear with the midpart that leads to a fun packed celestial,cultural,cerebral -if not manipulative- trial.

One of the best Powell and Pressburger films. The use of both technicolour and Black and White photography is ingenious and expertly done, creating beautiful images and setting up a good contrast. The performances are all excellent as well, from Niven's befuddled pilot to Goring's eccentric conductor and everyone in between. The real heart is the story, and except for a few small missteps it's incredibly charming and has that mix of dark comedy and romanticism that makes me love the archers.

Levity and weight.

Extraordinary topic considering when this film was made,Definitly worth a watch.

Would've been more romantic and much more respectable had they accepted the rigidity of universal law and she'd died to be with him. It's also a little too Hollywood and a little too post-war, a combination of spoonfeeding appealing values and affirming those already held, all with that signature pinch of condescending tweeness.

A good example of how a film can stand the test of time even when feeling dated, and how it's a good story, not top-notch cinematography which counts.

Completely above reproach. Powell and Pressburger at their absolute finest. Kim Hunter is so beautiful that you can totally buy David Niven falling in love with just her voice

An epic Powell and Pressburger film released just after WWII. The techniques used were ahead of the time and the whole film is excellently put together, if a tad surreal.

One of the great film fantasies ever produced, the kind of creative story filmed far too infrequently in today's merchandising driven film industry. The Archers impressive use of black/white & colour cinematography, film editing, musical score & character development were unparalleled during the 40s, & this film stands out as one of their best achievements in all of those areas. The great Raymond Massey nearly steals the film as a "celestial" prosecutor. A personal favorite, highly recommended.

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