A bunch of rich aristocrats gather at an Italian villa for a weekend of partying, all of them except one unaware that Death walks among them. That’s right, Death, wanting to experience what it’s like to be human and understand why they fear him so, has taken on the form of the mysterious, monocle-wearing Prince Sirki, and he’s there to romance their women and engage in deep philosophical discussions.
I had heard of DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY but never watched it until recently. I’m really not the target audience for this sort of romantic fantasy/drama, but when it comes to movies, I’m willing to give almost anything a try. Sometimes a film takes me by surprise and I like it a lot more than I expected to.
However, DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY never really won me over. The concept is interesting, and the black-and-white photography is really good. After a promising opening involving some fast cars and driving stunts, it settles down to become really stage-bound, not surprising since it’s based on a play, and the script is pretty long-winded and pompous. It doesn’t help that I’m not a fan of Fredric March, who plays Death/Prince Sirki, and the rest of the cast is pretty bland except for the always dependable character actor Henry Travers. There are a few suitably eerie moments, but mostly this was an effort to stay awake. Which I did, so that ought to count for something, I guess. This one just wasn’t for me, but your opinion of it could be different.
1 comment:
Have you seen the 1998 remake/re-working of "Death Takes a Holiday" ("Meet Joe Black" starring Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins)? If so, I'd be interested to know your opinion of it.
A film on a similar theme that I've enjoyed since I first saw it as a young sprout and which has held up well over the course of periodic re-viewings is the 1939 Lionel Barrymore movie "On Borrowed Time", based on a play that was based on a first novel from a college prof who went on to a long career as a writer/producer with, IIRC, DIsney.
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