Because I could not stop for Death, he kindly stopped for me; the carriage held but just ourselves and immortality” – Emily Dickinson
If Death took a holiday, the guns would go silent in Iraq, the slaughter on our nation’s highways would cease, and the news media would be compelled to cover positive events in the humanities, arts, and sciences. Unfortunately, Death has not had a vacation in recorded history, but Mitchell Leisen’s 1934 fantasy, Death Takes a Holiday, allows us to consider the possibility. Co-written by Maxwell Anderson and Gladys Lehman and based on the play "La Morte in Vacanza" by Alberto Casella, Death Takes a Holiday stars Frederic March as the Grim Reaper who takes on human form in an attempt to discover why men fear him so much. Why he has waited 5,000 years to satisfy this curiosity is not explained.
[Spoiler] After a brief tryout as a shadowy figure who scares the daylights out of those that cross his path, Death shows up at, of all places, an upscale party at an Italian villa, posing as the mysterious Prince Sirki. Only one person knows who he really is, the host Duke Lambert (Guy Standing), and he is sworn to secrecy. Sirki proceeds to fascinate the guests. Given to bursts of wit and poetry, he can just as quickly turn sullen and threatening, and some soon find out that it is better not to look too deeply into his eyes. During the three days in which the Prince is at the villa, however, people all over the world miraculously escape death and potential suicides are doomed to frustration.
To see what’s behind all the conversation about love, the suave but naïve Prince Sirki falls for the irresistible Grazia (Evelyn Venable), the daughter of one of Duke’s friends. Grazia knows who Death is but does not fear him, much to the chagrin of her fiancé, Corrado (Kent Taylor) who has developed a strong disdain for Prince Charming.
More sinister than Brad Pitt in the 1998 remake Meet Joe Black, March turns in a very convincing performance as the creepy yet strangely appealing guest. Although the ending is melodramatic, the emotions are very real and the suggestion that Death may in reality be a friend disguised as a foe is quite touching.
(Howard Schumann, talkingpix.co.uk)
In this wearisome and predictable plot line, Death falls in love and bores us to death talking about it.
(Dennis Schwartz, homepages.sover.net)
I've heard DRACULA was advertised with the tag line "The Weirdest Love Story ever told!" (this is probably a paraphrase), but at heart, I've never felt that you could honestly call that movie a love story. The tag line would be much more appropriate for this one, since it ultimately boils down to what amounts to a love story. This movie is very good indeed, particularly if you consider that it is built around a concept that could have easily been handled in a cute or facile manner. Instead, it is handled as seriously as possible, with some real thought put into how death would try to come to terms with a life and an outlook that was to that point totally unfamiliar to him; much of the credit does go to Fredric March in the title role. It's quite scary when it needs to be, particularly during the first twenty minutes. From then on, it deals with its themes with subtlety, a quiet wit, an enduring sadness, and an everpresent tension on how Death might react if crossed. It's not perfect; some of the dialogue is self-conscious and artificial, as if the writers knew they were dealing with weighty issues and were trying to be profound. But I am certainly glad they didn't try to turn it into a musical comedy of sorts.
(Dave Sindelar, scifilm.org)
See also the remake: Death Takes A Holiday (1971)
纪录片和剧情片的融合，产生了一点化学反应。
某个晚上cdx来家里kanwan
什么是normal？对于孩子的问题的理解是对于自身的成长的回忆，互相的提醒，互相的成就。
想象中美国独立电影的样子。尤其适合下班后的夜晚，沙发上，裹着毯子，我被抚平了。
真是温柔的一部电影。华金依旧贡献了不同且让我惊讶的表演。打算补完他的电影了，好像质量都很不错。
要狂叫时狂叫，该安静时安静，要知道世界是广大的，容得下狂叫与安静
至今最喜欢的华金表演，最舒畅也温暖。整个故事其实也不怎么少见，就是小孩与大人间的救赎故事，但是真的拍的很温暖，也很是我喜爱的那种话唠电影。何尝不希望有一个与自己完全平等的长辈又何尝不希望自己是一个拥有独立思想的人呢？
电影是以Johnny采访各处孩子对未来的定义和解读作为穿起电影的线索，很有纪录片真实的感觉，当然，导演只是借孩子们的口，表达他的观点。我们的未来会好吗？
能遇见一个人让你成长，这是必生之幸！润物细无声的温暖以及治愈感～
要讲的东西蛮有感触的，在回顾自我的时候绕不开的是童年，是父母，也总会把自己的缺陷归结于父母的教育。而在现实面前脆弱的无力应对的成人也很容易在面对孩子时展现出自己的控制欲，想要把孩子塑造成自己“理想中的人”，但却很难真正去贴近孩子的内心理解孩子的想法，也无法真正展现对孩子的尊重。而反过来孩子也会在这样的家庭环境中产生对自我的疑惑，逐渐迷失人格。社会的冷漠就这么渗透到家庭了，一定程度上和伯格曼的“随血脉传递的焦虑”“人在成长的过程中就是带上各种面具”是一致的。
人说的不都是废话吗
2022年4月27日，The Projector。看得挺感动的，就大都市生活人与人之间还是需要相互理解。以及即使不是熊孩子但生养下一代的精神消耗还是巨大的。
eh,i just fucking hate children.
耶穌說：「我實在告訴你們：你們若不回轉，變成小孩子的樣式，斷不得進天國。」今年最愛
不是我爱的拍法，过于片段化过于讲述甚至有丢煽，但形式和内容仍是合在一起的，而且两个人在丛林互相吼的时候莫名打动。yep, sometimes it just unfortunately touch me.
充满孩童的天真与任性，和来自长大了的孩子的痛苦与温柔。在新装修好的laemmle观看过程极其放松，像是身心都浸泡在温泉里。虚构与现实交汇，极度私人又容易共情；流畅的对白和剪辑，处理妥当的光线和阴影。如果有一天我真的也拍电影，大概这就是我想拍的片子的样子吧。（btw之前因为去看了belfast以为这俩题材相近，就错过了这部的首轮院线。看完简直要大喊这不比belfast好看多了嘛！这不值得几个提名吗！）
情绪的不断变化，脆弱敏感又如此吸引人，可以一直一直拍下去。
话太密了 孩子总有一个阶段如此招人讨厌又自以为是 但又真挚纯真
这是啥？育儿教育指导片？小演员太灵了吧，骗人生孩子系列🤷🏻♂️
充满孩童的天真与任性，和来自长大了的孩子的痛苦与温柔。在新装修好的laemmle观看过程极其放松，像是身心都浸泡在温泉里。虚构与现实交汇，极度私人又容易共情；流畅的对白和剪辑，处理妥当的光线和阴影。如果有一天我真的也拍电影，大概这就是我想拍的片子的样子吧。（btw之前因为去看了belfast以为这俩题材相近，就错过了这部的首轮院线。看完简直要大喊这不比belfast好看多了嘛！这不值得几个提名吗！）
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