“It's basically an intellectual battle, held in an amphitheater 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, Times (UK)
“What today's audiences will find amazing is the sheer energy of its invention.” - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Moments before his plane crashes, RAF pilot Peter Carter (David Niven) makes radio contact with an American operator named June. When the heavenly conductor dispatched to Earth to retrieve him gets lost in the thick fog over the English Channel, Peter awakes having cheated death, and he quickly falls for June. From that point, he is suspended between Heaven and Earth—and between black-and-white and Technicolor. This was a breakthrough film for Powell, who remarked, “From then on, there was no more realism in films, only surrealism.”
Awards & Nominations
Nominee - Best Film, Best Director, New York Film Critics Circle Awards
Cinema Unbound - The Creative Worlds of Powell & Pressburger: In collaboration with the British Film Institute (BFI), and with generous guidance and support from acclaimed film editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, we proudly presents this celebration of one of the greatest and most enduring filmmaking partnerships. Read more
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu