Death Takes a Holiday (1934)

Director:

Mitchell Leisen

Writers:

Maxwell Anderson (screenplay) and
Gladys Lehman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 March 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Fantasy

Tagline:

HE LIVED FOR THREE DAYS...AND LOVED FOREVER! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

Death decides to take a holiday from his usual business to see what it is like to be a mortal. Posing as Prince Sirki...

Plot Keywords:

Prince | Guest | Love | Death | Holiday

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Fredric March	...	Prince Sirki / Death
Evelyn Venable	...	Grazia
Guy Standing	...	Duke Lambert (as Sir Guy Standing)
Katharine Alexander	...	Alda
Gail Patrick	...	Rhoda
Helen Westley	...	Stephanie
Kathleen Howard	...	Princess Maria
Kent Taylor	...	Corrado
Henry Travers	...	Baron Cesarea
G.P. Huntley	...	Eric (as G.P. Huntley Jr.)
Otto Hoffman	...	Fedele (as Otto Hoffmann)

Also Known As:

Strange Holiday (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | USA:Unrated

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The English version of the play opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA on 26 December 1929 and closed in June 1930 after 180 performances. The opening night cast included Rose Hobart and Philip Merivale.

Quotes:

Death: I wish that we may never meet when you are less beautiful, and I must be less kind.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Supernatural: Death Takes a Holiday (#4.15)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

String Quartet In G Minor, Op.10: III

The Grim Reaper vacations in Italy

"Death Takes a Holiday" was based on a play, and it's interesting that another playwright was called upon to adapt it for the screen. The original piece by Alberto Casella feels almost Pirandellian, in that it elevates every day things into a philosophical realm. Maxwell Anderson's respect for the original text shows in his elegant treatment of the material. The film is greatly enhanced by Mitchell Leisen's direction.

The people behind this 1934 film gathered an interesting cast to play Mr. Casella's characters. The idea of making death a human being was a novel idea. When the Grim Reaper becomes real in the person of Prince Sirki, it opened the possibilities for how he looked at life from this new perspective.

The idea of bringing Prince Sirki into the Duke Lambert's palatial home was the right setting, for it gives the movie an elegance that only in that context could be achieved. It's clear that Prince Sirki falls for the beautiful Grazia instantly. Grazia is almost engaged to Corrado, the Duke's son.

It's a joy to see these aristocrats at play when they encounter the figure of the prince. Only the Duke knows about him and is always by the prince's side in order to help him grasp the earthly nuances that supposedly, Sirki knows nothing about.

The ensemble performances Mr. Leisen achieved from his cast shows on the finished product we see. Fredric March makes an elegant presence as Sirki. The beautiful Evelyn Venable is perfect as Grazia. Guy Standing makes the most of his Duke Lambert. Henry Travers, Kent Taylor, Gail Patrick and Katherine Alexancer are seen in minor parts.

How can anyone compare this elegant production with the recent remake of this film? It is a puzzle to this observer, at best.