Death Takes a Holiday

Mitchell Leisen's 1934 film begins with death taking human form. Wanting to understand why he is feared, Death spends three days as a guest at an Italian villa in the guise of a prince, and during that time nobody in the world dies. The guests are uneasy about the stranger, but young Grazia is not afraid of him and a closeness forms between them. Death comes to know human feeling for the first time and, when the time comes to leave, wants to take her with him, which her father opposes. The film works the idea in a talk-heavy register close to the stage; there is no horror and the tone is philosophical. What immortality means and what death gives to life are argued directly. It belongs to the period just before censorship rules were strictly enforced. Who it's for: viewers who like classic Hollywood fantasy and films driven by ideas. Who it's not for: anyone expecting an eventful narrative; the film is almost entirely conversation.