Silver Screen Mornings: A Matter of Life and Death

In A Matter of Life and Death, British RAF pilot Peter Carter (David Niven) believes his life is ending when his damaged aircraft fails over the Channel during World War II. Before bailing out, he makes radio contact with June (Kim Hunter), an Allied operator stationed on the English coast. Against all odds, Peter survives, seeks out June, and the two begin a relationship grounded in chance and immediacy.

Their story takes an unexpected turn when a celestial emissary (Marius Goring) arrives, explaining that Peter’s survival was an error and must be corrected. What follows moves between wartime Britain and a meticulously imagined afterlife, as Peter argues his case in a cosmic hearing that weighs duty, love, and human fallibility.