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)
《尼古拉斯凯奇的多重宇宙》lol 挺轻松的，好多喜欢的演员，凯奇确实演了很多烂片但是他的好电影也真的值得回顾，私心多加一星
致敬自己，嘲讽自己，对话自己，审视自己，接纳自己。凯奇的演艺生涯不可谓不传奇，也不可谓不曲折。因为辉煌过，所以更需要勇气面对跌落神坛后的不堪。作为观众如果喜欢曾经那个熠熠生辉的凯奇，在吐槽多年烂片王的如今，看完本片也请接受这个迟暮的凯奇吧。虽然本片的剧本依旧···一般。【三星半】
最后最爱看的居然是一部英国电影，辱美了。。。
勉强打三分吧，还是感觉烂，凯奇根本回不到以前的状态了，胡子虽然遮住了他大半个脸，但仍然看得出他很疲惫，没有从前那种神气。对比片中他幻想的年轻的自己就能看出来，这真是要命的设计，完全让人觉得现在的凯奇已经面目全非。整个故事如果不是靠一点情怀撑着，真是没法让人一口气看下去。就是这点情怀，最后也耗得一干二净，寡淡无味。真可以说：别了，尼古拉斯-凯奇！
个人中译片名：《奇才重任》。
还不如再去看一遍空中监狱或者变脸亦或者勇闯夺命岛……
nick取枪时候，出现三重的映像，蜡像，蜡像橱窗映射的侧像，投影到蜡像的正面像，分别代表着nick的银幕角色，人们以为的真实的nick，以及不被了解的nick。最后一个nick也许最不被人知，却最真实，很可惜这部电影没能反映出最后一个。讲述一个大家以为的故事。
中年危机片……佩德罗在尼古拉斯的演技面前简直就是被秒杀
作為凱吉粉算是滿意，致敬與當中幾個讓他情感流露的點都不錯，但片中最令我驚豔的是片頭大銀幕放的空中監獄片段，小時候一直在電視看的我，看到那一幕的瞬間真的很想他直接把空中監獄整部放一遍。
“我只是想和你分享一些对我意义重大的东西”
算是把自己的绝大多数作品都吐槽了一遍了。但是还是更喜欢哈维啊~哈哈哈哈
想法不错 算是美国版的自成一体的自己致敬自己了 凯奇叔也算是临老高光了一把 虽然选的电影都有点cherry-pick 但想法算是不错的了
非常有趣的片。故事整体其实是较为俗套的商业片套路，但两个主角之间的尬到爆炸的兄弟情，还有在剧本与故事里穿梭来回和展现对电影行业的一些小细节给电影整体增色不少。
又一部预告片比电影好看的平庸之作。本来把自己现实的 struggle 放在电影里戏剧化地表现这个点子挺好的，结果电影本身还不及预告片十分之一好笑，也更没多深刻和感情真挚，就，清汤寡水的无聊。
不如好好拍一部adult drama，不要搞这些好莱坞噱头。
影片中规中矩，但是也能看出尼古拉斯凯奇真得尽力了，是有诚意的！一管自我安慰剂，一锅对影迷情怀的鸡汤！
充满着自娱精神和对电影的调侃，凯奇绝对是天才演员
在凯奇的电影里，烂片之上，好片之下，前面略好，中间拖沓，玻璃中的倒影与人像慢慢重叠，拉回很多感觉，但结尾的平庸注定翻不起多大浪花。据说是凯奇无债一身轻后的作品，却已是年过半百，每个人的生命都是如此短暂，演员导演观众都一样，在这有限的时间里，彼此都多一份期待与真诚，电影与生活，多一份美好。
我也喜欢他的leaving las vegas 但是在我眼里烂片之王还没到拍片致敬自己的份上吧？
在凯奇的电影里，烂片之上，好片之下，前面略好，中间拖沓，玻璃中的倒影与人像慢慢重叠，拉回很多感觉，但结尾的平庸注定翻不起多大浪花。据说是凯奇无债一身轻后的作品，却已是年过半百，每个人的生命都是如此短暂，演员导演观众都一样，在这有限的时间里，彼此都多一份期待与真诚，电影与生活，多一份美好。
Copyright © 2015-2023 All Rights Reserved
