Stairs in film: A Matter of Life and Death/Stairway to Heaven

I recently stumbled upon an amazing romantic fantasy film from 1946 called Stairway to Heaven (also known by its original title: A Matter of Life and Death) at the Castro Theatre. The plot follows a RAF pilot during World War II who jumps from his plane without a parachute and miraculously survives the fall, waking up on a beach and shortly thereafter, falls in love with the telephone operator he met on radio right before jumping as she bikes home from work (!). Excuse my convoluted retelling of the film (I am terrible at telling stories in chronological order), but the gist of it is that the powers that be in heaven feel compelled to correct their mistake of letting him live and the pilot must go on trial to prove that he deserves a second chance at life. The point of contention as it is argued in the heavenly court lies in whether or not he has truly fallen in love during his “borrowed time” in the land of the living. If so, he can be granted a permanent stay. If not, off to heaven he must go. The best part of Stairway to Heaven is the way the scenes in heaven and earth are shot. Heaven is shot in “Technicolor mono-chrome” and earth is shot in Technicolor, and the characters travel back and forth between the worlds by way of a magical marble escalator. Highly recommended! [CL]