BecauseIcouldnotstopforDeath,hekindlystoppedforme;thecarriageheldbutjustourselvesandimmortality”–EmilyDickinson IfDeathtookaholiday,thegunswouldgosilentinIraq,theslaughteronournation’shighwayswouldcease,andthenewsmediawouldbecompelledtocoverpositiveeventsinthehumanities,arts,andsciences.Unfortunately,Deathhasnothadavacationinrecordedhistory,butMitchellLeisen’s1934fantasy,DeathTakesaHoliday,allowsustoconsiderthepossibility.Co-writtenbyMaxwellAndersonandGladysLehmanandbasedontheplay"LaMorteinVacanza"byAlbertoCasella,DeathTakesaHolidaystarsFredericMarchastheGrimReaperwhotakesonhumanforminanattempttodiscoverwhymenfearhimsomuch.Whyhehaswaited5,000yearstosatisfythiscuriosityisnotexplained. [Spoiler]Afterabrieftryoutasashadowyfigurewhoscaresthedaylightsoutofthosethatcrosshispath,Deathshowsupat,ofallplaces,anupscalepartyatanItalianvilla,posingasthemysteriousPrinceSirki.Onlyonepersonknowswhohereallyis,thehostDukeLambert(GuyStanding),andheissworntosecrecy.Sirkiproceedstofascinatetheguests.Giventoburstsofwitandpoetry,hecanjustasquicklyturnsullenandthreatening,andsomesoonfindoutthatitisbetternottolooktoodeeplyintohiseyes.DuringthethreedaysinwhichthePrinceisatthevilla,however,peopleallovertheworldmiraculouslyescapedeathandpotentialsuicidesaredoomedtofrustration. Toseewhat’sbehindalltheconversationaboutlove,thesuavebutnaïvePrinceSirkifallsfortheirresistibleGrazia(EvelynVenable),thedaughterofoneofDuke’sfriends.GraziaknowswhoDeathisbutdoesnotfearhim,muchtothechagrinofherfiancé,Corrado(KentTaylor)whohasdevelopedastrongdisdainforPrinceCharming. MoresinisterthanBradPittinthe1998remakeMeetJoeBlack,Marchturnsinaveryconvincingperformanceasthecreepyyetstrangelyappealingguest.Althoughtheendingismelodramatic,theemotionsareveryrealandthesuggestionthatDeathmayinrealitybeafrienddisguisedasafoeisquitetouching. (HowardSchumann,talkingpix.co.uk) Inthiswearisomeandpredictableplotline,Deathfallsinloveandboresustodeathtalkingaboutit. (DennisSchwartz,homepages.sover.net) I'veheardDRACULAwasadvertisedwiththetagline"TheWeirdestLoveStoryevertold!"(thisisprobablyaparaphrase),butatheart,I'veneverfeltthatyoucouldhonestlycallthatmoviealovestory.Thetaglinewouldbemuchmoreappropriateforthisone,sinceitultimatelyboilsdowntowhatamountstoalovestory.Thismovieisverygoodindeed,particularlyifyouconsiderthatitisbuiltaroundaconceptthatcouldhaveeasilybeenhandledinacuteorfacilemanner.Instead,itishandledasseriouslyaspossible,withsomerealthoughtputintohowdeathwouldtrytocometotermswithalifeandanoutlookthatwastothatpointtotallyunfamiliartohim;muchofthecreditdoesgotoFredricMarchinthetitlerole.It'squitescarywhenitneedstobe,particularlyduringthefirsttwentyminutes.Fromthenon,itdealswithitsthemeswithsubtlety,aquietwit,anenduringsadness,andaneverpresenttensiononhowDeathmightreactifcrossed.It'snotperfect;someofthedialogueisself-consciousandartificial,asifthewritersknewtheyweredealingwithweightyissuesandweretryingtobeprofound.ButIamcertainlygladtheydidn'ttrytoturnitintoamusicalcomedyofsorts. (DaveSindelar,scifilm.org) Seealsotheremake:DeathTakesAHoliday(1971)
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