Customer Reviews

Death Takes a Holiday [VHS]

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Sixty-four years before we met death disguised as "Joe Black"(Meet Joe BlackBrad Pitt - see my review for film details of this one), 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

more cinematic treats from the 30's:
Alfred Hitchcock: 4 Tales of the Macabre - Secret Agent / The Lady Vanishes / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Sabotage

La Mujer del Puerto

My Man Godfrey

I was a young lady when I saw Fredic March in Death Takes A Holiday, I was a young mother when I saw the remake with Monte Markham and now as a grandmother I saw Meet Joe Black. Which one is the best in my mind? Mr. Pitt and Mr. Markham Can't hold a candle to the style of Mr. March.The ending is still as touching and chilling as it was the first time I saw it. I have seen it many times since and it still has the same effect on me. It's a wonderful movie, a bit dark but consider the era in which it was made just adds to the effect the movie wants to parlay to it's audience.It's a timeless treasure, not to be missed. You've seen the rest now see the best!!!!!

From the moment a strange shadow seems to be following the car lovely Evelyn Venable is riding in the mood for this beautiful and darkly romantic film is set. When death itself takes on physical form to understand better why humans fear him so, the stage is set for a rich and unusual film experience.

One of the great films of the 1930's, it is not as well-remembered as it should be. There is a strange and almost haunting atmosphere to what in the end is really a romantic look at love itself. Fredric March gives a solid performance as that which we most fear but do not understand. He is appropriately over the top and out of place on earth. Evelyn Veneable is memorable as the girl, Grazia, who Prince Sirki (March) comes to love; he experiencing for the first time what it means to be human.

But the world becomes chaotic while Death is on his vacation and Sirki must return to his grim duties. The question is whether the lovely Grazia will still fear him or choose love, even if it means going with him to what lies beyond. It is talky but so full of its darkly romantic atmosphere that it is almost hypnotic. This is truly a masterpiece of mood, the perfect blend of subject matter and atmosphere.

March's "Death" is the focal point but Henry Travers has some fine moments among a cast which includes Gail Patrick. It is Venable herself who carries this film, however, her beautiful eyes and face capturing with emotion and expression both fear and love. It is a true shame more films of this quality did not come her way in the 1930's.


I have never forgotten the first time I saw this film and having seen it more than once since that time have still found beauty in its presentation of love which might live far beyond the shadow which follows us all. This is one of director Mitchell Leisen's finest films. It is a lyrical and compelling look at death and love and an experience no film buff should miss. Highly recommended.

Based on an Italian play that performed on Broadway in 1929, the 1934 DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY would be the inspiration for the 1998 Brad Pitt film MEET JOE BLACK--but whereas MEET JOE BLACK proved a highly literal interpretation of the theme, DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY is unexpectedly lyric in tone.

The story is a fantasy. Death has grown weary of the fear he inspires in human beings, and in an effort to understand the tenacity to which they cling to life he decides to take a three day "holiday." He accordingly presents himself at the house of an Italian nobleman as "Prince Sirki," and soon discovers that human beings pass their lives in games, none of them of any great importance or interest. But there is one "game" he has yet to play: love.

Like many films of the early 1930s, the script is a bit talky and the cinematography a bit static; with the exception of Evelyn Venable (as Grazia) and Henry Travers (as Baron Cesarea) the cast, including the usually subtle Frederic March, tend to play in a somewhat theatrical manner. Even so, the overall tone of the film is unexpectedly touching, lyrical, and strangely lovely. It is also, on occasion, gently humorous. And before Death resumes his true identity and returns to the business of mortality, we receive unexpected food for thought.

The film is not widely available on either DVD or VHS, nor is it frequently televised. That is unfortunate, for fans of 1930s cinema will find it darkly charming. Worth seeking out!

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Another reviewer has remarked that this film can't hold a candle to the remake, "Meet Joe Black". And that is correct.

There is no need to "hold a candle" when this movie lights up the sky like a tremendous bonfire and diminishes "Meet Joe Black" to nothing other than the pompous, overblown, flickering, faltering travesty that it is.

This is film-making in the grand manner. Story and mood and gentle, tender revelation are what it is about. Not blaring, mood-setting music and uninspired acting. There is room for humor and play in this movie and here it is honest, clean, and without self-conscious effort.

The lovely actress, Evelyn Venable, in the role of the woman who makes Death wish he were human -- she is fine and wonderful. And the rest of the cast is excellent as well.

This is the stuff of dreams, and sweet summer nights, and moonlit rambles. Nothing short of magic!

I was very hesitant to see this original movie after being tortured by it's remake, MEET JOE BLACK. I finally worked up the courage to see this film, and what a film it is!!

When I reference overacting in my review subject, I'm not referring to any of the leads. Frederic March is just wonderful as Death. Completely suave and charming, with some uncomprehension of this life and a few handfuls of macabre statements thrown in for good measure. If anyone else was saying most of the dialog March had, I would think it was over the top, and lame. But when he says it, I just sit back and sigh. Especially the ending, when he's trying to persuade Grazia to leave him before he turns back into Death. In my book, one of the most touching scenes in any romance movie.

Now, the great overacting I reference in the subject pertains to the supporting actors. They have some fabulously screwy scenes, where their acting is over the top and wonderful. This is best illustrated when Duke Lambert has to tell his guests who Prince Sirki really is. "He is the one you fear most ... " <big gasp from the crowd> " ... he is death." <even bigger gasp from the crowd> How can you not crack up at that scene? Look for Henry Travers (a.k.a. Clarence the angel) in a fun role.

And the bad overacting in the subject? Well, that, of course, is Brad Pitt. Poor fellow can't tell the difference between being mysterious and acting like an imbecile. Oh well. At least he gave it a try. Hopefully, he, and the director of MEET JOE BLACK learned their lesson. It's a bad idea to mess with perfection.

I saw this movie a couple of years ago. I instantly fell for Frederich March and the whole movie itself. I loved it. It made me feel, even cry, which is something that doesn't happen much with the movies of today. Meet Joe Black I was hoping would at least try to be nearly as good. But alas Bradd Pitt was more like a chunk of wood with blonde hair compared to March's darkly brooding mysterious Death. The original is still the best. Before you see Meet Joe Black please try the this telling of the tale. Nothing quite compares to it.

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".

My father recommended this 1934 b&w when I was a kid. It's old but still has that elegant character that Meet Joe Black misses. MJB is held together by 3 actors (not Brad or any females). Watch the subtlties (and maybe excesses?) of Fredrick March.This has that old, elegant diction and an elan that was also missing in the (OTHER REMAKE) with Monte Markam as a TV movie. I saw this in Taos, New Mexico. After the movie, the man beside me, to whom I explained this version, said he couldn't wait to get the "original" since this '98 version was so bad. Enjoy!!!

When I first saw the 1934 "Death Takes a Holiday" several years ago,I was younger, more impressionable, and totally drawn into this film. Yes, it was a little creepy, but that was part of its charm. So I already had an image in my mind for many years when I saw "Meet Joe Black." For all its lavishness, and while I admired Anthony Hopkins' performance, "Joe Black" was too long, and the payoff wasn't there. In "Death" the ending was the climax; in "Joe Black" it was the disappointment.