A Matter Of Life And Death

[poliphilo]

I adore Orson Welles but I'm cool about Citizen Kane. It's the same with Hitchcock and Vertigo. And Bergman and Persona. I can see why these particular films are considered their maker's masterpieces and I can admire them- but I don't love them.

I think it's got something to do with the amount of conscious effort that seems to have gone into them. I prefer films that strain less hard. Lady from Shaghai, for instance, Strangers on a Train, Winter Light.

And then there's A Matter of Life and Death. Michael Powell is the greatest British director and it follows that I'm keen to love what is generally considered to be his greatest film- and I do, but with reservations. It's a huge film, multi-layered and with lots of great moments, but again I get that feeling that Powell was trying a little to hard to make a masterpiece.  

And it's a flawed work.  The scenes in heaven are a little too whimsical, the sets a little too cardboardy. As for the perfomances,  Niven and Livesey are fine, but Marius Goring is really annoying and Kim Hunter- with that sulky, spoiled-kid face of hers- is so dull it's impossible to believe in her as the love of anybody's life. 

I watched it again last night. I tried to put my self in a place where I would simply submit to it and let the magic do its work, but I couldn't get there.

Comments

[ibid.livejournal.com]

I have never thought Powell was a good judge of his own work. He only came to love a Canterbury Tale when it found critical appreciation in the 70's and he always loved battle of the River Plate which is appalling I think Emric Pressburger was a better judge

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

A Canterbury Tale is my favourite Powell. It's a film I love without reservations.

I haven't seen River Plate- well, not all the way through.

[ibid.livejournal.com]

Don't bother! Really it's a bad example of the British war film, not a genre which has ever produced great cinema anyway...

[methodius.livejournal.com]

This is weird.

I was listening to the radio in the car and a panel on English usage was wittering on about lists of bests or mosts based on the Internet, and one panellist said it couldn't be a reliable guide, because an Internet poll for best film was The Shawshank redemption rather than Citizen Kane, and that would never do.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've never seen the Shawshank Redemption. From what I've read about it I'm not tempted.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I like One of Our Aircraft is Missing. That's a good British war film, I think.

[ibid.livejournal.com]

It's quirky but not really outstanding as a film, but yes it is more bearable than some others.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Maybe I've just got a thing about Googie Withers....