A Matter of Life and Death

Unabashedly romantic, beautifully textured in warm color and cool monochrome, and brilliantly poised on the edge of fantasy and reality, Michael Powell's 1946 "A Matter of Life and Death" (aka "Stairway to Heaven") is the first essential DVD release of 2009.

After a celestial prologue, we swoop right into mortal matters: an RAF bomber pilot (David Niven) in a burning plane (a scene of both terror and terrible beauty), an American girl (Kim Hunter) hearing his final words before he leaps without a parachute, and the love affair that blooms when he survives the blind leap. It's a romance caught in the balance of life and death when a heavenly conductor (Marius Goring) is sent to bring the flyer to the afterlife (they missed him in the fog) and he makes the case to remain on Earth. It's a perfect romantic fantasy and a stunning creative achievement ("Ah! We are so starved for Technicolor up there," quips the conductor as the gray monochrome of the afterlife blooms into the almost surreal hues of Earthly color), powered by the passion for life and love.

The two-disc set is a double feature, with the 1969 drama "Age of Consent," one of Powell's last films and a rarity, restored for its home video debut. James Mason stars as a British painter in Australia, and a very young Helen Mirren is his lovely muse. Both films look amazing and feature video introductions by Martin Scorsese and commentary tracks (Powell historian Ian Christie on "A Matter of Life and Death," Kent Jones on "Age of Consent"). The latter film also includes interviews with actress Mirren and the film's underwater photographers, and a new featurette on the making of the film. Two discs in a paperboard digipak with a slip-sleeve.