Feb 041934
 
four reels

Death (Fredric March) wants to understand humans and their reaction to him so decides to take on human form and spend three days on the estate of Duke Lambert (Sir Guy Standing) in the guise of Prince Sirki. Death makes one rule: the Duke cannot tell any of the others in attendance who he really is. Those others consist of the Duke’s wife Stephanie (Helen Westley), son Corrado (Kent Taylor), Baron Cesarea (Henry Travers), American Rhoda (Gail Patrick), and Countess Alda (Katharine Alexander). Death had assumed that elderly Princess Maria (Kathleen Howard) and her exceptionally sensitive and poetic daughter Grazia (Evelyn Venable), who is also Corrado’s fiancée, were guests as well, and is disappointed when they leave. The mysterious Prince Sirki is both compelling and off-putting to the guests. As Death studies them and the lives they lead, Ronda and Alda compete for his affections while Cesarea passes on his philosophies. Corrado is uneasy with him, a feeling which is greatly amplified by his interactions with the two women and the returning Grazia who sees in Death a kindred soul.

Death Takes a Holiday is the ultimate goth film and Grazia is the ultimate goth princess. If it didn’t start the subculture, it should have. Death is dangerous, but can be kind, and feels lonely. Art and flowers and the night rule while sports and games and the bright day offer nothing of substance. There’s also a shadow that follows our characters, elaborate dialog filled with significance, symbolism all around, and high contrast B&W photography. If you could add some dark-wave music, it would be impossible to get any more goth. If the goth scene doesn’t call to you, watch this film anyway as it’s a brilliant motion picture.

The film is based on the Italian play La Morte in Vacanza by Alberto Casella, which had already been translated into English, and sticks closely to its source, mainly just trimming. Its theatrical roots are clear while watching, but it isn’t a detriment. It’s been opened a bit, starting in town and then following the wealthy merrymakers on their speeding car ride, which gives it enough sense of a larger world without deluging us with unnecessary scenery. The story is about Death staying at a duke’s estate for three days, so we stay in the estate. As the house is ornate and complicated, we get all the variation we need. And as the movie is quick at a mere 79 minutes, I didn’t get tired of the setting. I’d have liked a bit more time among this group, but as the film works so well, I’m content to be left wanting more.

Death Takes a Holiday has the trappings of horror, comedy, romance, and melodrama, but foundationally it’s a philosophical examination of the meaning of life and how to view death, although it’s as much of an emotional investigation as an intellectual one. Baron Cesarea tells Death that life has three games: War, Money, and Love. War, they both seem to agree, is pointless, and the only purpose in money is for love, which simplifies things a good deal, but Death Takes a Holiday isn’t that simple. It leaves a lot for us to mull over. What is the best way to react to death? The three women take very different paths, and each has its points. One is mildly annoyed by death, one is forcefully repelled, and one embraces death. Should you even care about death? Is wildly grasping for life healthy? How accepting of death do you want to be?

In the first act, Corrado wants Grazia to marry him quickly, and their families and friends agree. Metaphorically, they’re pushing her toward life. She says she isn’t ready, which seems true. What does it mean when someone isn’t ready for life? Is she searching for unconditional love or is she suicidal? And is that a problem?

You could sit for hours analyzing Death Takes a Holiday, or you could turn your brain off and just enjoyed the surprisingly complex characters. A smart film engages you in multiple ways, and they don’t make them much smarter.

It was remade in 1998 as the dreary and bloated (it’s 3 hours!) Meet Joe Black, with Brad Pitt failing to portray the grandeur that Fredric March managed, Anthony Hopkins failing in the emotion and humanity expressed by Guy Standing, and Martin Brest, best known now as the director of Gigli, failing in general.