Years of Hollywood conditioning have long since accustomed the American public to superlatives of all sorts. Today's superlatives, however, must be reserved for a British product, one for which the known American descriptive vocabulary can scarcely suffice. Following close on the heels of the unforgettable "Henry V", J. Arthur Rank's "Stairway to Heaven" poses an equally compelling, if less monumental, challenge to Hollywood's celluloid supremacy.

Like most good things, "Stairway" rings the bell on the note of its unexpected freshness and intellectual maturity. Where most producers manage to distort the elementary love story into a complicated and painfully dime novel entanglement, writer-producer-directors Michael Powell and Emeric Press-burger have restored this favorite theme to its original charm and simplicity.

Not the least of the picture's merits is its innovation of alternating technicolor and monochrome to depict earth and heaven. The latter is a highly fanciful creation, and the Hollywood-Bowlish representation of the High Court of Judgment stretches the imagination almost beyond the bounds of good taste. But no one, whether atheist or fatalist, can fail to enjoy the high humor of the heavenly consternation when a "clerical error" results in the unscheduled prolongment of the doomed flier's life-on-earth.

David Niven has chosen an admirable vehicle for his return to the American screen after a six-year absence, and he does full well by his opportunities as the flier on borrowed time. Kim Hunter, a newcomer, is equally well cast as the WAC. Her fresh and youthful appearance, unretouched by Max Factor, could serve as an object lesson in natural casting for American producers. Marins Goring, Roger Livesey, and Raymond Massey are other highlights of a cast entirely above reproach. Hollywood was well advised to exclude foreign productions from the Academy Award competition; if "Stairway to Heaven" is a fair example, they'd lose the Oscar for keeps!