A Fine Old Fantasy, of sorts
Fantasies in which the main character or characters stepped outside outside reality for a brief period used to be much more common than now. This film has the premise that the hero (David Niven) should have died but didn't, due to climatic conditions interfering with the heavenly collector. When the mistake is discovered, the collector is sent to get him. However, he doesn't want to go, having met the girl of his dreams in the interim. Niven files an appeal and a celestial tribunal is assembled. Interestingly, while the audience is willing to accept the reality of the fantasy, the film contrasts Niven's experience, i.e. talking to angels, moving back and forth between this world and the next, etc., with the idea that it may all be a psychotic break caused by a brain condition. The film is well written and well acted with a great deal of dramatic tension. It was made immediately following WW II and makes much of the concept of a new world brotherhood sweeping away the detritus of old world hatreds and fears. It is old fashioned and perhaps corny when viewed from the point of view of modern sophistication and cynicism, but if viewed with the hope and optimism held by the people who survived that conflict, It is a film of great beauty.
