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Death Takes a Holiday
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| Editorial Reviews: | | |  | | Decades before Brad Pitt starred in Meet Joe Black, the story of a vacationing Grim Reaper was adapted for the screen from a popular play. Frederick March, playing Death, disguises himself as a European prince and spends three days with an amenable duke at his palatial estate. Women are instantly attracted to the Lord of the Underworld, but back off when they sense his true nature--that is, all women except for the beautiful young innocent (Evelyn Venable), who is destined to marry the duke's son. Filmed in 1934, this is more sensual than the Pitt remake, though the acting style is more mannered than some audiences may enjoy. But at only 78 minutes, the emotional content, as well as the ending, feels more real than the lengthy '90s version. --Rochelle O'Gorman | |
| Custom Reviews: | |
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| Poor. Whereas "Meet Joe Black" is long & boring, | |
| | "Death Takes a Holiday" is merely boring. This is not a knock on Fredric March or Brad Pitt, both fine actors. It is simply creepy yet too one dimensional to be taken seriously. A play that did not transfer well. As for Death, aparently he likes to vacation with the stupid, idle, rich rather than real people. Ironically, these stiffs are already half dead. They have nothing to say yet prattle on endlessly about it. Death isn't much better. I fell asleep & had to rewind a bit. It didn't matter. Such excellent suject matter squandered twice 64 years apart. I really do like the old movie classics. This one... disappointing.
| | | | Sixty-four years before we met death disguised as "Joe Black"(Brad Pitt), Prince Sirki amused himself among the living for a three day holiday. Although not quite the lavish production of it's remake "Meet Joe Black", "Death Takes a Holiday" is a wonderful romantic fantasy from 1934, and is shot beautifully in black and white cinematogrpahy. A wealthy and aristocratic family, and their houseguests, are visited by the 'grim reaper'...'the old man'...DEATH! Only the head of the household knows who Prince Sirki really is, and why he is there. They strike a deal, and the Prince has 3 days to learn why he is so feared by the human race. For those three days, he lives among them, experiencing and taking in all he can of human ways, and what's more..NO ONE dies while Death is on holiday. Weapons of war malfunction, accident victims walk away without a scratch, people can't even commit suicide when they try! But here's the catch..Sirki falls for the beautiful and deeply pensive Grazia. Will he take her with him to that other world when his time has expired? Does the power of love win out in the end? The great Fredric March gives an exquiste performance as "Death" trying to adjust to life.It is so beautifully filmed and the performances were so brillant at bringing the marvelous characters to life, that it was like watching a play. Although a serious subject, there are many moments that will make you smile, and in the end, you may view the subject of death a little differently. If you love the classic films of the thirties, this is a must see. It is also nice to have as a companion to "Meet Joe Black". If you are looking for this on DVD, it is included in the 2 disc "Ultimate Edition" of Joe Black. That way you can have "death" come to you in the form of Fredric March OR Brad Pitt!...What a way to go!...Enjoy....Laurie
| | A different sort of Fredric March | |
| | I watched this only because Fredric March is in it, and at the moment I am studying his life and films. I found this to be interesting, but not my favorite of his work. I thought it was a movie for "fun", not to be taken seriously. It is VERY dramatic and a bit overacted, but given the subject matter and the time the film was made, this adds to the fun of the film. It was interesting to hear Fredric speak in a foreign accent, and he was as handsome as always. I can recommend this film only if you like Fredric March and want to see him in an unusual role, or if you like "campy"sort of films from this time period, or if you just want to watch something "different" when you have nothing else to do.
| | A TRUE CLASSIC FROM 1934. | |
| | An excursion into the supernatural took Paramount to an artistic high point in its 1934 programme. DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY proved that Mitchell Leisen, wielding a strong, dramatic sense together with a delicacy of touch, was a valuable addition to the studio's directors' list, on which he would remain for 18 years. The multi-awarded playwright Maxwell Anderson wrote the screenplay with Gladys Lehman and Walter Ferris, basing it on a play by Alberto Casella about the Angel of Death assuming human form. He visits a country house as a mysterious prince, fascinating but frightening all with whom he encounters....... E. Lloyd Sheldon gave this a sumptuous production and the acting throughout - especially by Fredric March and Evelyn Venable in the leads - is immaculate.
| | ONE OF THE GREATEST MOVIES I'VE EVER SEEN | |
| | I won't talk about the remakes, because it's needless, and because they're based upon the same play, but objectively they're not properly "remakes" of this film in itself. The acting, especially by March, who carries the film all the way...is excellent. Venable as Grazia is ethereal and beautiful, and the rest of the cast is equally perfect...Guy Standing, Gail Patrick, Henry Travers...I agree with one reviewer that if it weren't for Amazon I wouldn't had been able to watch and enjoy this masterpiece, at all. I really hope that Universal, who owns the Paramount movie catalog, most notably the 1930's films, will release and issue in VHS/DVD formats, other masterpieces which aren't available yet, like 1932's delightful "Trouble in Paradise", 1933's "Design for Living" and 1935's "Peter Ibbetson".
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