Death Takes a Holiday

I saw this TV movie back in the 70's and it left a memorable impression on me. I absolutely loved it. Yvette Mimieux is a beautiful young woman and Monte Markham a handsome young man (who is actually death in human form) the story is great. The quality of the film does not do the actors or the story justice, however it is such a captivating story and the stars so easy on the eyes it makes it easy to ignore the lack of quality. The movie instantly became one of my all time favorites. I have been looking for it on VHS or DVD ever since. I finally got a copy that was made off of 16mm film but the quality is just OK, but at least I could finally watch it again. I fell in love with it all over again.

It is easy to dismiss this film as a cheap remake of the original Fredric March vehicle, but there is so much more here than simple recapitulation!

The story is timeless. It takes a very definite philosophical stance on a subject which will always be relevant to all of us. Namely, how shall we cope with our own deaths when the reality confronts us?

What impressed me most about this production was the way in which death was presented. Death appears here as a gentle, benign presence. This presentation is a far cry from the monstrous horror we have come to expect from death. Death in this film is not a Grim Reaper wishing to engulf us in his inevitability. He wishes only to present himself as a fact of life. To understand himself and be understood by others as an experience which has a unique time and place for everyone. Occurring not one moment sooner nor later than necessary, and then as something not to be feared, but rather embraced in its turn.

There are other reasons to watch this rare production of the story. The fine cast: the beautiful Yvette Mimieux is in her prime here and perfect for the title role. I say "title role" because there is actually a dual title role here. It is the interaction between Yvette Mimieux's character and Monte Markham as Death that sets up the central dilemma that drives the picture. Myrna Loy and Melvyn Douglas are fine in supporting roles. Laurindo Almeida's haunting score creates an atmosphere of romantic suspense even while it facilitates contemplation.

So why doesn't this production have a better reputation? I suspect it's because, while the actors fulfill their roles admirably, they do so in a nuts and bolts manner which lacks drama. This production of the story is therefore out of step with the prevailing value in Hollywood: entertainment. For maximum entertainment value, a picture with greater dramatic impact is preferable.

Nevertheless, it is testimony to the dramatic impact and eternal relevance of this story that it has been remade several times since with great success, most notably in "Meet Joe Black." "Death Takes A Holiday" is a fine, underrated film which I give three stars!

I saw this movie in the 70's and it has been on my mind ever since. I look for it from time to time, but have never been successful in locating a copy. It's hard to believe I've been hoping to see it again for over 40 years!

Recently I've started wondering if it really was all that great, but after bumping into the reviews I just read here, my desire to see it again has returned. It was good to see that others were haunted by this film also....

If anyone knows where to get a copy of this movie or has information about when it could air, I would be very excited to know! If for nothing else, to be done looking. I must have really loved this movie!

What a gorgeous film this is, and how it tugs at the heartstrings. Though quite different in tone from the Frederic March film of the same name, Death Takes a Holiday still tells the same story.

Death takes human form and comes to earth to find out, as he puts it, "why people claim so tenaciously to life." Like the angel in "The Bishop's Wife," he falls for a mortal, played by Yvette Mimieux. Of course, while Death is on vacation, so to speak, nobody dies. And that has repercussions for Mimieux's family.

The cast is absolutely superlative - Melvyn Douglas, Yvette Mimieux, Monte Markham, Myrna Loy, and Bert Convy.

If you have a chance to see this film, don't miss it. I remember it so vividly. Make sure you have a box of tissues next to you.

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Robert Butler; Produced by George Eckstein, for Universal TV, telecast by ABC-TV. Screenplay by Rita Lakin; Photography by Michael Margulies; Edited by Michael Economou; Music by Laurindo Almeida; Art Direction by Eugene Lourie; Assistant Director: James Fargo. Starring: Yvette Mimieux, Monte Markham, Melvyn Douglas, Myrna Loy, Bert Convy, Kerwin Mathews and Priscilla Pointer.

Poor TV rehash of a classic, which dissipates all of the story's value by stressing pretentious, pseudo-contemporary. Nauseatingly contrived dialogue. Death, personified as a man, coming to Earth and falling in love, and then returning home, thereby breaking the spell of no death in the world while he is here. It's a plot that should be put to rest,