A VERY PECULIAR PRACTICE

In order to get the science of the movie right, Powell immersed himself in medical literature when rewriting Pressburger’s first draft. A key text was Frigyes Karinthy’s

Journey Round My Skull, in which the Hungarian writer described the optical hallucinations he experienced after suffering a brain tumour. Powell also consulted his own brother-in-law, surgeon Joe Reidy, who shared information about neurological damage. In fact, Powell’s research for the film even inspired a 2008 science book, A Matter Of Life and Death: The Brain Revealed By The Mind Of Michael Powell.