History Main / MatterOfLifeAndDeath

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' ("[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS1E9PerchanceToDream Perchance to Dream]]"):

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
* In ''Fanfic/FireBurns'', Katherine is convincing James to let her into the Gryffindor common room. James is being difficult.

'''Katherine:''' ''[smiling unpleasantly]'' Damn straight.

'''Old Man:''' A woman always is, sire. ''[unrolls the painting to [[TheReveal reveal]] [[Creator/LeonardoDaVinci the Mona Lisa]]]''

The stock situation -- and StockPhrase -- is a Matter of Life and Death. The ObstructiveBureaucrat is prone to get this flung in his face when causing a RestrictedRescueOperation. Although considerable variation is allowed in the face of different situations: whatever the problem is (or problems are) can be used instead.

* In ''Fire Burns'', Katherine is convincing James to let her into the Gryffindor common room. James is being difficult.

'''Katherine:''' (smiling unpleasantly) Damn straight.

-->'''Walter Sobchak''': ''I'm saying, I see what you're getting at, Dude, he kept the money. My point is, here we are, it's shabbas, the sabbath, which I'm allowed to break only if it's a matter of life or death...''

-->'''Alex''': ''Missus! It's a matter of life and death!''
* ''Film/EverAfter'': An old man convinces Prince Henry to retrieve a treasure stolen by a gypsy as [[MetaphoricallyTrue "it is my life."]] Henry is not pleased to learn after that it was a painting.

'''Old Man:''' A woman always is, sire. ''[Unrolls the painting to [[TheReveal reveal]] [[Creator/LeonardoDaVinci the Mona Lisa]].]''
* ''Film/NightAtTheMuseumBattleOfTheSmithsonian'':
-->'''TheThinker statue''': '''I'll tell you what's the matter of life and death: THAT GIRL OVER THERE.''

* In Creator/DanAbnett's Literature/GauntsGhosts novel ''Ghostmaker'', Dorden has authority to go into the ship's supplies, and yells at someone trying to check up on him: he is trying to get medical supplies for a soldier in critical condition.
** In ''First & Only'', seeing that Gaunt would die unless he acted, Dorden [[ActualPacifist for the first and only time]] in the series fired a gun.
* ''Literature/TheStainlessSteelRat''. The con-man title character says this while posing as a League Admiral, then quietly reprimands himself for over-playing his part.
* In L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''[[Literature/ProsperosDaughter Prospero Lost]]'', when Miranda complains about Mab's driving, he says she had told him it was a matter of life and death.
* In Creator/RickRiordan's ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'', Rachel uses this on her father to convince him that Percy is in danger.
* In Creator/SandyMitchell's ''Cain's Last Stand'', Literature/CiaphasCain, hearing Magos Tayber wants to talk to him, knows it's a matter of life and death because she didn't vox him.
* In Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/{{Mort}}'', Mort wakes up Ysabelle in the middle of the night and demands she come help him, urging that it's a matter of life and death. (Death had vanished.)
* In Angie Sage's Literature/SeptimusHeap book ''Flyte'', Jenna insists on a message being sent because it's a matter of life and death. Later, when Marcia and Aunt Zelda quarrels, it's on the grounds that it's a matter of life and death.

* In Creator/SarahAHoyt's ''Literature/DarkshipRenegades'', Thena reflects on how treating the mentally ill started only after it became feasible; before, when they could threaten the existence of the tribe, they were probably killed.
* ''Goodbye, Mickey Mouse'' by Creator/LenDeighton. A married woman rings the US airbase demanding that the American pilot she had an affair with get in contact with her immediately. On being asked if this is a matter of life and death, she shrieks that it is and hangs up. When the pilot goes round to her house, he finds that her husband who's returned from fighting in Burma forced her to make the call at gunpoint as he's planning a MurderSuicide of [[LoveTriangle all three parties]].
* In Creator/SeananMcGuire's ''Literature/OctoberDaye'' novels
** ''Rosemary And Rue'': when Devin withdraws his offer of a freebie for help, Toby's not surprised; this was a matter of life and death, not something trivial.
** ''One Salt Sea'': Walther asks how important it is -- nice to know or life and death -- and Toby tells him life and death.
* In Creator/DorothyLSayers' Literature/LordPeterWimsey novel ''Whose Body?'', Sir Julian Freke runs up when Parker is getting in a cab, blathering that he needs to go and it's a matter of life and death.
** In ''Clouds of Witness'', Mary comes looking for Peter on the grounds it's a matter of life and death.
** In ''Gaudy Night'', Harriet talks of her undergraduate days, when she had believed that the only spirits on the college were kept under lock and key for life-and-death emergencies.

* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' ('Unexpected'):
--> '''Matt Parkman''': [To Ted] ''Hey, I only came here because you said this was a matter of life and death. You can't go blowing anything more up.''
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' ("The Price"}:
-->'''Devinoni Ral''': ''Yes - protection. Your protection, your captain, your crew, your...edge. Yes. Now, it's a matter of life and death when you take the advantage; me...I deal in property - exchanges. Nobody gets hurt. So you tell me - which one of us would you say has more of a problem with ethics?''
* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' ('Perchance to Dream'):
-->'''Narrator: [opening narration]''' ''Twelve o'clock noon. An ordinary scene, an ordinary city. Lunchtime for thousands of ordinary people. To most of them, this hour will be a rest, a pleasant break in the day's routine. To most, but not all. To Edward Hall, time is an enemy, and the hour to come is a matter of life and death.''

-->'''Smart:''' Operator, this is a matter of life and death!
-->'''Operator:''' That's what they ''all'' say.
* On ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'', Lucille Bluth consistently refers to one of these in text messages as "a matter of land" (she means "l" and "d"). People mostly wind up wondering what land has to do with anything.

* When ''ComicStrip/FrankAndErnest'' are opticians visited by Franchise/{{Superman}}, who misjudged distance and nearly fell into a building, they cheerfully observe that it's a matter of life and depth.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout|1}}: A Post-Nuclear Role-Playing Game'':
-->'''Vault Dweller''': ''I would much rather tell him in person. It's a matter of life and death.''

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* In ''WebComic/AntiHEROES'', [[http://www.antiheroescomic.com/comic/40 used for ]] SeriousBusiness -- like expired milk.

* In ''Webcomic/DocRat'', [[http://www.docrat.com.au/default.asp?thisItem=915 Doc is distressed because he's only used to facing questions of life and death, not justice.]]
* In ''Webcomic/DragonMango'', [[http://www.dragon-mango.com/comic/chapter04/dm04-10.htm after her father threatens to eat one,]] [[http://dragon-mango.com/comic/chapter04/dm04-33.htm Bleu Berry insists on telling her fellow students how to defend themselves from dragons because it's a matter of life and death.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheHairBearBunch'': In the episode "The Bear who Came to Dinner," Peevly is calling a vet to examine Square Bear who is faking an injury so the bears can use his cottage at the zoo for three hots and a cot. Hair Bear has tapped the phone line and gets Gabby the parrot on the other end to be the receptionist:
-->'''Gabby:''' (''to Peevly'') Is it urgent?\\
'''Peevly:''' Yes, and tell the doctor that it's a matter of life and death...mine.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBeatles'' episode "Chains," the boys are about see the movie ''Film/MutinyOnTheBounty'' which John says is "When men were men and the struggle against the ocean was a matter of life and death."

[[folder: Fan Fiction ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys'' movie. Eliza says this to her boarding school roommate when she has to leave.

* ''Goodbye, Mickey Mouse'' by Len Deighton. A married woman rings the US airbase demanding that the American pilot she had an affair with get in contact with her immediately. On being asked if this is a matter of life and death, she shrieks that it is and hangs up. When the pilot goes round to her house, he finds that her husband who's returned from fighting in Burma forced her to make the call at gunpoint as he's planning a MurderSuicide of [[LoveTriangle all three parties]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheHairBearBunch'': In the episod "The Bear who Came to Dinner," Peevly is calling a vet to examine Square Bear who is faking an injury so the bears can use his cottage at the zoo for three hots and a cot. Hair Bear has tapped the phone line and gets Gabby the parrot on the other end to be the receptionist:

* When ''ComicStrip/FrankAndErnest'' are opticians visited by {{Superman}}, who misjudged distance and nearly fell into a building, they cheerfully observe that it's a matter of life and depth.

* In Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Discworld/{{Mort}}'', Mort wakes up Ysabelle in the middle of the night and demands she come help him, urging that it's a matter of life and death. (Death had vanished.)

The stock situation -- and StockPhrase -- is a Matter of Life and Death. The ObstructiveBureaucrat is prone to get this flung in his face. Although considerable variation is allowed in the face of different situations: whatever the problem is (or problems are) can be used instead.

Not to be confused with the 1946 David Niven movie ''Film/AMatterOfLifeAndDeath'' or the 2006 Music/IronMaiden album of the same name. ''Definitely'' should not be confused with the Franchise/WallaceAndGromit short, "WesternAnimation/AMatterOfLoafAndDeath".

* In Creator/SarahAHoyt's ''[[Literature/DarkshipThieves Darkship Renegades]]'', Thena reflects on how treating the mentally ill started only after it became feasible; before, when they could threaten the existence of the tribe, they were probably killed.

* ''Literature/SuperPowereds'': Nick invokes this in year 2 for the final battle. With the entire team (especially Vince) in danger of washing out, Nick knows they need an impressive win against people who have been beating them all year. So he [[spoiler:blackmails one of his opponents into making Vince see the objective as an innocent in need of protection, and all the other students as inhuman monsters trying to kill her]]. [[LetsGetDangerous Vince proceeds to prove himself the most powerful student in the school by a wide margin]].

-->Many of the students would one day look back at this day, their final match of sophomore year, as the moment when they finally understood what it was they were aspiring toward. The matches they’d had previously, while difficult, had been controlled by their very nature. There were always safeguards, always rules, always a set number of variables to be accounted for. In the last five minutes of this match, none of that was true. It was their first taste of true battle. There was no order, no simple objectives. There was only chaos, and fear, and violence.\\

* Literature/SuperPowereds'': Nick invokes this in year 2 for the final battle. With the entire team (especially Vince) in danger of washing out, Nick knows they need an impressive win against people who have been beating them all year. So he [[spoiler:blackmails one of his opponents into making Vince see the objective as an innocent in need of protection, and all the other students as inhuman monsters trying to kill her]]. [[LetsGetDangerous Vince proceeds to prove himself the most powerful student in the school by a wide margin]].

* In Creator/DorothyLSayers' LordPeterWimsey novel ''Whose Body?'', Sir Julian Freke runs up when Parker is getting in a cab, blathering that he needs to go and it's a matter of life and death.