A Matter of Life and DeathU
A British wartime pilot falls in love with an American radio operator while his plane falls from the sky. After bailing out without a parachute, he wakes up on an English beach having seemingly cheated death. However, when a messenger from the afterlife outlines that it was an administrative error which spared his life, he must mount a defence for his right to stay amongst the living. Intended to smooth tensions between the wartime allies Britain and America, Powell and Pressburger’s stylish melodrama unfolds as a richly humanistic journey through time and space, ultimately presenting a case for the enduring power of love.
Reviews
‘It’s basically an intellectual battle, held in an amphitheatre as large as a galaxy, about the right to life and the inherent tensions in US-UK political relations. In other words, essential viewing.’
★★★★★
Kevin Maher, The Times
‘A Matter of Life and Death is the utterly unique, enduringly rich and strange romantic fantasia from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.’
★★★★★
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Sorry - you missed it!
We showed A Matter of Life and Death between December 26, 2023 and December 28, 2023.
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What else is on?
Today (Thursday 27th August)
15:00
The Summer Book PG
1h 35m17:45
The Summer Book PG
1h 35m
20:00
The Odyssey 15
2h 52mTomorrow (Friday 28th August)
15:30
On the Sea 15
1h 51m
18:15
20:45
Thief 18
Plan your visit
Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!