if you want to be cynical and pedantic you could point out that the opening where a raf lancaster bomber be mortally wound on the 2nd of may 1945 be somewhat unlikely since german air defence be as lively a adolph hitler on that day but this isn not a movie that should be view by a cynical audience and i guess a character be kill in literally the last hour of the war add to the poignancy . in fact you would have to have survive the second world war to fully appreciate the intellect and beauty and soul of powell and pressburger masterpiece . the scene of heaven be painfully twee when view today . again you have to view the movie of the context when it be make . raf bomber command lose 58 and 000 men during the war and the same number that america lose in nam but during a short period and a far and far small pool of active combatant and there no atheist in a fox hole and i doubt if you would lose a relative during the conflict you would view material atheism a be a sensible thing . when richar attenborough young pilot look down in awe at the sight below him many war hero must have openly weep at this scene a they remember much miss comrade who do not survive the war . also bare in mind that despite lose several million people from 1939 45 there seem to be very few people from germany pass through the pearly gate . it obvious nazi do not go to heaven the plot itself where dash young pilot peter carter argue for his life in front of a celestial court wouldn not have have much appeal to me if it wasn not for the subtext and you see a matter or life and death be a highly political and visionary film that lament the end of the british empire a it replace by american ambition . there little thing that show up the film a be make by people aware of american history and culture . one be the ethnic mix of america and even today many briton think that the usa be overwhelmingly compose of white anglo saxon protestant when in fact only 51 % of american be white european . the film rightly contain a scene where a multitude of different race confess i be an american a peter be judge by abraham farlan and an anglophobe who be the first revolutionary kill by british force in the american war of independence . a for the special relationship between britain and america what special relationship . powell and pressburger know their history when it come to britain and america . they obviously know their future too so remember to watch this movie with some of your mind in the past and some of your mind in the present . it strange and beautiful and poignant and clever but most of all it a film that would never ever work if it be make in the last 40 year . can you imagine if the story be set in 2003 and revolve around a british soldier kill in iraq .