The story revolves around a mistake by the powers that be. David Niven (Pilot of a a damaged Lancaster bomber) is trying to bring his plane back to the British shore in one piece. Sadly, all the parachutes have gone (having commanded his crew to bail out) and his only recourse is to radio in and alert the ground crews. Immersed in dense fog over the channel, Niven keeps his upper lip stiff and even starts a little flirting with the wren on the other end of the microphone.
Finally realizing the flames are too much and the plane is beyond help, Niven must bail from the craft, parachuteless and to certain death. However, given the depth of the fog, it seems the fella sent from above to take Niven to the delights of the other side got a might lost and as such, Niven survives...on borrowed time.
Told almost as a lesson in litigation, Niven and his therapist must convince a heavenly court that despite their mix up, he should be given the chance to live and love. For a nation grieving for their own losses, a story that allows for a second chance must surely have brightened lives.
If only for the stairway to heaven scene, this film is well worth watching. In 2004, a film magazine vote declared A Matter of Life and Death the second best British film ever, runner up only to Get Carter.
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