The filmmaking team of "The Archers", Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, have an incredible talent for parlaying a capricious plot into a Technicolor piece of splendor (it often makes their films seem better than they really are, particularly in retrospect). David Niven is well-cast as an aviator with the British Squadron during World War II who is forced to bail out of his doomed aircraft without a parachute--but, due to a Heavenly error, he survives and finds himself romancing the pretty Yank who was the last person to talk with him over the radio. For the first three-quarters of its length, "Life and Death" is a wily, friendly fantasy with a nice sense of otherworldly flavor (with a light touch reminiscent of Cocteau in a happy mood); however, the plot is top-heavy with "legal" discussions and concerns that, while handled briskly and in keeping with the movie's tone, never live up to our early expectations. As the love-interest, Kim Hunter has an appealing little-girl look (she resembles the juvenile Linda Blair) and a nicely grounded presence; still, the ramifications of her affair with Niven--and whether or not she believes his stories or is just humoring him--are never actually made clear. **1/2 from ****