185. DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY, 1934
- Jay Jacobson
- 3 hours ago
- 16 min read
A sumptuously poetic and spellbinding supernatural fantasy
With the holidays upon us, I’m spotlighting a film I’ve long loved — not a seasonal one, but a story about a most unusual holiday. It’s the mesmerizing Pre-Code fantasy, “Death Takes a Holiday”. A major hit upon its release but now largely forgotten, this soulful treasure explores love, death, and what it truly means to live — perfect inspiration for starting a new year with a fresh perspective. Stimulating, visually majestic, emotionally profound, and utterly entertaining, it’s bound to haunt you long after the lights come up.
The plot of “Death Takes a Holiday” is deceptively simple. Weary of being feared and misunderstood, and lonely because everything shuns it or withers at its touch, “Death” takes a three-day holiday disguised as a man so it can walk among mortals to learn why they fear it and what is so desirable about life that humans cling to it with such ferocity.
Set in Italy, the film opens as it introduces its supporting cast at a lively wine festival. They are “Duke Lambert”, his wife “Stephanie", their son “Corrado”, the “Baron Cesarea”, "Countess Alda”, “Rhoda”, and “Eric” — all guests at the “Duke’s” castle. While they celebrate, the young and beautiful “Grazia” sits alone in a dark church, enjoying her solitude until “Corrado” finds her and says they must leave, for his father wants to return home before their final guest, “His Serene Highness, Prince Sirki of Vitalba Alexa”, arrives.
Piled into two cars, they encounter a strange shadow on their drive home that nearly causes a fatal accident. Everyone is shaken except “Grazia”, who tells “Corrado”: “Isn’t this the strangest night? There’s something miraculous in the air, like an old story you can’t quite believe”. We learn “Corrado” wants to marry her, and though she loves him, she’s not ready to commit. As she explains: “There’s a kind of happiness I want to find first, if I can… There’s something out there that I must find first, something that I must understand”.
To not spoil any of the suspense or fun, suffice it to say that with the “Duke’s” permission, “Death" spends its holiday at the villa posing as “Prince Sirki”. Captivated by his mystery, “Alda” and “Rhoda” vie for “Sirki’s” attention, while “Sirki” and “Grazia” find themselves drawn to one another.
It’s a rich premise carried out with a blend of light comedy, philosophy, suspense, and a touch of horror — all of which sparks reflection. As “Death” discovers life (such as the warmth of a woman’s hand or the taste of wine), one begins to realize how superficial our lives can be and how much we take for granted. As “Death” observes, “It seems to me that men have not begun to discover the magnificence of this life”. The film’s easygoing philosophical musings are both playful and ponder-worthy, and after a few days in the world of the living, "Death" gets more than it ever bargained for.
“Death Takes a Holiday” boasts its own distinctive style — theatrical, dark, slightly gothic, and laced with sharp humor. The fact that nothing can die while “Death's” on holiday is already a fun premise, and “Sirki” trying not to let on that he’s “Death” also generates lots of humor, such as when someone mentions that a man jumped off the Eiffel Tower only to get up and walk away, explaining “It just wasn’t time for the old man to take him”. “Sirki’’s” suppressed indignation to being called an “old man” is especially funny, and this kind of humor is deliciously woven throughout the film.
There are wonderful special effects scattered about (particularly how “Death” first appears as a somewhat transparent shadow), and a barebones score that fits like a glove (I love the haunting piano music played by “Rhoda" when “Grazia" and “Corrado” are in the garden). Everything works in harmony to pull us into a lavish, supernatural fairy tale that's somehow uplifting, delicately poetic, and supremely entertaining.
“Death Takes a Holiday” was based on the 1924 Italian play, “La morte in vacanza” by Alberto Casella, adapted into English by Walter Ferris for a 1929 Broadway premiere. Award-winning playwright Maxwell Anderson adapted it for the screen with help from Gladys Lehman. Paramount Pictures obtained the rights and assigned Mitchell Leisen to direct.
Leisen’s breathtaking direction is key to why the film draws you in. Take the film's opening. Over brisk, joyous music, the camera sweeps through a wine festival as streamers fly, wine is poured into revelers’ mouths, and grapes are stomped — all beneath the opening credits. He then introduces the cast by tracking flowers passed from hand to hand, ending on a close-up of "Corrado" gazing nto the distance with concern. The music shifts to a solemn organ and choir as Leisen cuts to "Grazia" seated alone in a church. The sudden contrast between communal exuberance and private seriousness immediately draws the viewer in, raising a flurry of questions.
Leisen was a true master at creating mood and atmosphere, and this film uses both to inform us about characters and emotion. The way he films the above mentioned opening is a fine example. He juxtaposes the happy-go-lucky celebrants, filmed in bright daylight with a constantly moving camera and intimate close-ups, with a similarly framed static shot of “Grazia” isolated in darkness. The similar shot compositions make us feel she’s part of the group, while the darkness, the non-moving camera, and change in music tell us she’s quite different from them.
There’s a gasp-worthy moment of beauty as the guests enter the “Duke’s” villa. The camera waits just inside the doorway as all eight file in, then glides backwards with them as they walk down an arched hall lined with life-sized sculptures, sarcophagi, and passing servants. With this one stunning shot, Leisen underscores the castle’s grandeur and the characters’ extravagant privilege, while establishing the film’s ever-present opulence. It’s screen artistry at its finest.
With astounding gothic rooms, deep shadows, and enveloping darkness, Leisen creates an unnerving tension that hangs over much of the film — especially in the early scenes (which, to me, evoke the tone of 1931’s “Dracula”). Though “Death Takes a Holiday” sometimes edges toward horror, its flashes of humor and philosophy keep it firmly rooted as a riveting metaphysical fantasy rather than outright fright.
Leisen’s impeccable sense of camera placement highlights the action while keeping every frame visually alive. From the eerily composed shot of “Death's” first appearance, to the exquisitely staged breakfast scene, he balances close-ups, two-shots, and wide shots to move effortlessly through each important beat. He crafted such an enjoyable film, that “Death Takes a Holiday” earned a Best Foreign Language Film nomination and won Leisen a Special Recommendation Award at the Venice Film Festival. It was his second solo directed film, and launched him as a notable Hollywood director.
Mitchell Leisen’s immense talents were wide reaching. He began in movies as a costume designer, set designer, assistant director, and co-director before being assigned his first film as sole director, 1933’s “Cradle Song”. “Death Takes a Holiday” came next and marked the beginning of his rise to one of Paramount’s (and Hollywood’s) top directors of the 1930s and 1940s. He directed classics across multiple genres, and was so successful that even audiences knew his name (a rarity for directors back then). Though many of his films are still revered, Leisen himself has been largely forgotten. What a crime for such a talented filmmaker. You can read more about the life and career of Mitchell Leisen in my post on “Hold Back the Dawn”. Click on the title to open the post.
Because Leisen was given full control over “Death Takes a Holiday”, he utilized his many artistic gifts, overseeing the sets, props, costumes, and camera placements, while allowing his crew to add their own creative input. As the film’s cinematographer Charles Lang explained in David Chierichetti's book Mitchell Leisen: Hollywood Director: "From the cinematographer's point of view, Mitch was a great director to work with, though he always had very definite ideas about what he wanted. He'd tell me what lens to use, and I'd do it unless I had some good reason not, and then I'd have to tell him… He’d told me how he wanted the camera to move, and it was up to me to find a way of doing it… About the only thing he didn't control was the lighting. He left that to me and always gave me plenty of time to get what I wanted”.
Lang’s camerawork and lighting are dazzling, dotting the film with spooky shadows and managing to maintain a feeling of darkness even in daylight (as in the breakfast scenes). Lang's mastery at creating a visual mood is heavenly, so it’s no surprise he was one of the industry's giants.
Utah-born Charles Lang moved to Los Angeles at age three and originally planned to study law, but shifted course, starting as a studio lab assistant and photographer before becoming an assistant cameraman in 1923. By 1926, he was a cinematographer, and joined Paramount the following year, remaining there through the 1950s. He's considered one of Hollywood great cinematographers, especially renowned for making leading ladies look luminous (like Marlene Dietrich, Mae West, Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe, Claudette Colbert, Audrey Hepburn, and Ingrid Bergman). Lang earned eighteen Oscar nominations over more than forty years, winning for 1932’s “A Farewell to Arms”. His many classics include “Some Like It Hot”, “She Done Him Wrong”, “Sabrina”, “The Magnificent Seven”, “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir”, “Ace in the Hole”, “The Big Heat”, and “Charade”. In 1991, he received the American Society of Cinematographers’ Lifetime Achievement Award. He was married for over fifty years, and was the grandfather of actress Katherine Kelly Lang. Charles Lang died in 1998 at age 96.
Lang and Leisen were instrumental in shaping Paramount Pictures’ distinctive “house style” of the late 1920s and early 1930s, with “Death Takes a Holiday” as a golden example. In 1934, five studios dominated Hollywood — Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, and RKO Radio Pictures. Each had a recognizable identity: MGM specialized in lavish, star-studded escapism; Warners in gritty, socially conscious realism; Fox in historical epics, musicals, and literary adaptations; and RKO in musicals and comedies.
As Billy Wilder said in the book An Empire of Their Own: “Studios had faces then, They had their own style. They could bring you blindfolded into a movie house and you opened it and looked up and you knew. ‘Hey, this is an RKO picture. This is a Paramount picture. This is an MGM picture’. They had a certain handwriting, like publishing houses”.
Paramount’s “handwriting” was defined by sophistication and a distinctly European sensibility, with an emphasis on set design and fashion — qualities “Death Takes a Holiday” exudes. The ornate worldliness of the “Duke’s” villa, the posh extravagance of Travis Banton and Edith Head’s costumes, and the story’s clever complexities give the film a cultured, cosmopolitan sheen — precisely the sort of stylish, Continental-flavored movies for which Paramount became famous.
Starring in “Death Takes a Holiday” is Fredric March as “Death” (and “Prince Sirki" in human form). Playing “Death” is no easy task, yet March pulls it off spectacularly, blending gravitas and otherworldly stillness with enough emotional truth to make him relatably real. His performance is expertly detailed — even the way he ascends the steps when he first encounters “Grazia” carries a delicate nuance. Notice his reactions when he kisses “Alda’s” hand. After the initial kiss, intrigued by the sensation, he lifts her sleeve, and kisses it again, deeper. It’s a very moving moment, made all the more affecting by the faint, joyous surprise he adds to his next line. We truly feel this being is discovering life for the first time, and March’s charm and childlike fascination adds heart, humor, and lightness to the story.
Another beautifully felt moment comes when “Grazia” gives him a flower. Knowing flowers die at his touch, the way March handles the rose in disbelief and looks at her with genuine gratitude creates a small but powerful exchange. His continued, almost playful interest in the flower is both funny and stirring, and by then t’s impossible not to sympathize with “Death". March also wrings every bit of humor from the script’s sly double entendres about mortality. It’s a joy to watch an actor so fully inhabit a role. He is simply outstanding.
Rightfully considered one of the greatest actors of his time, March began making films immediately after signing with Paramount in 1929. Thanks to his good looks, resonant voice, and remarkable talent, he rose rapidly to leading-man status, gaining fame and earning a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his fourteenth film in under two years, 1930’s "The Royal Family of Broadway". Four years later, he became a full-fledged star with 1932’s "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, winning his first Academy Award, and becoming the first actor to win for a horror film.
After his Paramount contract expired in 1933, March began freelancing, something almost unheard of for major stars in that era, but the move served him well. Free from studio control, he shaped his own career, appeared in many classics, and continued working on Broadway (winning two Tony Awards). With no studio behind him to create one, March never developed a fixed screen persona, so he became known purely for his craft. You can read more about Fredric March in my posts on two of his other classics, “A Star Is Born” and “The Best Years of Our Lives” (which won him a second Oscar). Be sure to check out the posts and those great films and performances.
Evelyn Venable plays “Grazia", the daughter of the “Princess of San Luca”, whom everyone hopes will marry “Corrado”. From the moment we first meet her alone in the church, we see that “Grazia” is introspective, spiritual, and uninterested in frivolity, and Venable gives her a luminous, ethereal presence, with a quiet depth all throughout. Though her performance carries a bit of theatricality (fitting for “Grazia’s” dreamy, self-contained world), Venable’s emotions always feel genuine. It remains her most famous role.
Ohio-born Evelyn Venable acted in high school and college before touring in theater productions, primarily in classical plays. Spotted by a talent scout, she signed with Paramount in 1932, and made her film debut as a lead in Leisen’s “Cradle Song”. “Death Takes a Holiday” was her second film, and she went on to appear in lead and supporting roles in films like “Double Door”. “Alice Adams”, “The Little Colonel”, “Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch", and “North of Nome”. By the decade's end, she mostly appeared in B movies. Over a fourteen-year career, Venable appeared in 27 films (including shorts), and voiced the “Blue Fairy” in Walt Disney’s 1940 animated classic “Pinocchio”. Perhaps because her Paramount contract let her keep her hair long, avoid showing her legs for publicity, refuse bit parts, and because she didn't kiss leading men in her major films, rumors arose that her father forbade her from onscreen kissing — a claim that was untrue.
Venable is also thought to have been the first model for the torch-bearing woman in the Columbia Pictures logo, though this has never been confirmed. On the set of the 1934 Will Rogers film “David Harum” (immediately after “Death Takes a Holiday”), she met cinematographer Hal Mohr. They married soon after, remaining so until his death forty years later. She retired from acting in 1943, earned a Master’s degree at UCLA, and taught drama there for decades. Evelyn Venable died in 1993 at the age of 80.
Guy Standing plays “Duke Lambert”, the man who allows “Death” to take its holiday in his villa. Exuding a natural warmth and effortless authority, he’s terrific from the start, charmingly buying out all the flowers at the wine festival, and later masterfully playing his first encounter with “Death” with a mix of fear, confusion, and compassion. As the only character who knows “Sirki” is really “Death", Standing also gets moments of comedy, as when responding to “Sirki’s” dry humor with perfect deadpan looks or silently signaling him not to reveal too much. It’s a beautifully restrained performance.
The son of actor Herbert Standing and the eldest of four brothers who all became actors, London-born Guy Standing debuted on the London stage in 1889, spent seventeen successful years on Broadway, and continued working on both sides of the Atlantic. After two silent film appearances, he was set to star in the film “The Silver King” when World War I began, prompting him to return to England to serve. His work on the British War Mission to the U.S. made him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1918, raised to Knight Commander in 1919. Sir Standing returned to Broadway in 1925, and while touring in Los Angeles, was offered a Paramount contract. He made his feature debut in 1933’s “The Story of Temple Drake”, and appeared in 20 films through 1937, including “Cradle Song”, "The Eagle and the Hawk”, “The Lives of a Bengal Lancer”, “Lloyd’s of London”, and “Bulldog Drummond Escapes”. Married three times, he was the brother of actors Jack, Percy, and Wyndham Standing. In 1937, at an auto garage, Sir Guy Standing declared he'd “never felt better” just before collapsing to the floor and dying soon after of a heart attack at the age of 63.
Kent Taylor plays “Corrado,” the “Duke’s” son who's deeply in love with and eager to marry “Grazia”. Leisen explained to Chierichetti that he cast Taylor “as her fiancé because he resembled Fredric March so much. They looked almost exactly the same, and I wanted to get the effect over that March represented Death, and Taylor was Life”. Taylor delivers exactly that — an earnest embodiment of life, full of vitality and emotion, whether it’s his eager devotion to “Grazia”, his protective urgency when a stranger appears in the garden, his instinctive sense of danger, or his fearlessness confronting “Sirki”.
Iowa-born Kent Taylor acted in high school, worked various jobs, and briefly studied engineering before moving with his family to Los Angeles in 1931, where he and his father opened an awning business. His tall, dark, handsome looks caught the eye of director Henry King, who encouraged him to go into movies. Taylor soon began working as an extra in 1931, and within months, signed a contract with Paramount. His first starring role was in 1933’s “The Mysterious Rider”, though he spent much of the mid-1930s in small or supporting parts in films like “Blonde Venus”, “The Sign of the Cross”, “The Story of Temple Drake”, “The Scarlet Empress”, “I’m No Angel” (as Mae West’s wealthy suitor), and a half-dozen opposite Venable. Moving to Universal in 1936, he became a star or co-star of mostly B-movies.
With his film roles waning in the late 1940s, Taylor turned to television in 1950, starring in the series "Boston Blackie” from 1951 to 1953 (his best-remembered role), and the Western “The Rough Riders” from 1958 to 1959. He returned to movies in the 1960s (largely low-budget horror and sci-fi). Across forty-four years, Taylor appeared in about 151 films and TV shows, including “Five Came Back”, “Payment on Demand”, “Ramona”, “Gang Busters”, and “Brain of Blood”. The name of “Superman’s” alter ego, “Clark Kent”, was reportedly made by combining Clark Gable and Kent Taylor’s names. Married once for more than sixty years, Kent Taylor died in 1987 at the age of 80.
All the characters in “Death Takes a Holiday” are distinctly engaging, including Katherine Alexander as “Alda”, the "Contessa di DeParma". Alexander makes “Alda’s” rivalry with “Rhoda” over “Sirki’s” attention delightfully amusing — as when she undoes "Rhoda’s" belt with a sugary “So sorry, darling", so as to give herself the advantage of getting to "Sirki" first. Alexander gives a wonderfully seductive glance while telling “Eric” she’s fascinated by “Sirki”, and also excels in the dramatically charged scene when she nearly confesses her love to “Sirki”. It’s a rousing performance from start to finish.
Arkansas-born Katherine Alexander, part Cherokee, originally planned to become a concert violinist. But when producer Samuel Goldwyn attended one of her recitals while needing an actress who could play the violin, he offered her the role. Instantly bitten by the acting bug, she quickly built a thriving theater career, debuting on Broadway in 1917’s “A Successful Calamity”, followed by over three dozen productions across the next thirty-one years. She made two short films in 1930 and her feature debut in 1933’s “Should Ladies Behave”, followed by “Death Takes a Holiday”. An immensely talented character actress, she appeared in forty-one feature films before retiring in 1951, including “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, “The Barretts of Wimpole Street”,” The Painted Veil”, “Double Wedding”, “The Human Comedy”, and two already on this blog: “Stage Door” (as a stage company member) and “Now, Voyager” (as "Miss Trask"). Married and widowed once, Katherine Alexander died in 1977 at age 78.
I’ll briefly mention two more actors I've previously written about, starting with Gail Patrick as “Rhoda", the American woman openly pursuing “Sirki". Patrick’s performance vividly reminds us that “Death Takes a Holiday” is a Pre-Code film (see my post on “Red Dust” for more on that), as “Rhoda” is sexually free and unabashedly eager to sleep with “Sirki”. We see it when “Alda” asks her, “How far do you go, as a rule?” and she replies, “With him? Anything!”. There’s also the scene where “Rhoda” explains love to “Sirki", clearly signaling her desire to sleep with him without stating it outright. Patrick also perfectly captures a youthful, carefree spirit. “Death Takes a Holiday” was early in her career (film fans may not recognize her with blonde hair), and was her first prominent supporting role, leading her to enormous success, sometimes as a lead, more often as a supporting “bad girl” or romantic rival. Read more about Gail Patrick in my posts on "Stage Door" and "My Man Godfrey".
Finally, there’s Henry Travers as “Baron Cesarea", described by the "Duke" as“a statesman important in the affairs of the world, who now looks back upon a long and interesting life”. As such, Travers gives the “Baron” a gentle wisdom and world-weariness that contrasts beautifully with the others. His innate warmth and honest, understated acting make him memorable, whether giving a sincere lesson to “Death” about the three games in life (“money, love, and war”) or the touching recollection of a past conversation on mortality with “Sirki”. This was Travers' fifth of roughly fifty films in his career, and classic movie fans will recognize his endearing presence from many classics, including three already on this blog where you can read more about his life and career: “Mrs. Miniver”; “Dark Victory”; and “It’s a Wonderful Life”, which features his immortal role as guardian angel “Clarence”.
In the book Mitchell Leisen: Hollywood Director, Leisen recalled: “The effect ["Death Takes a Holiday"] had on people was quite amazing. We were Paramount’s second highest grosser of the year, right after Mae West, so a lot of people saw it. We had seven or eight thousand letters come in from people all over the country, saying that they no longer feared death. It had been explained to them in such a way that they could understand the beauty of it”.
"Death Takes a Holiday" inspired several adaptations: a 1962 television version starring Yvette Mimieux, Monte Markham, Myrna Loy, and Melvyn Douglas; a 1998 film remake, "Meet Joe Black”, starring Brad Pitt, Claire Forlani, and Anthony Hopkins; and a 2011 musical stage version.
Part fantasy, part romance, and part mediation on life, this week’s largely overlooked film is a feast for the eyes, heart, and mind. Enjoy the utterly enjoyable “Death Takes a Holiday”!
This blog is a (currently triweekly) series exploring classic films from the silent era through the 1970s. Each post recommends a film to watch, aiming to entertain, inform, and deepen your appreciation of cinema — its stars, directors, writers, the studio system, and more. Be sure to visit the HOME page to learn more, subscribe for email updates, and check out THE MOVIES page for a full list of films. Please comment, share with others, and subscribe so you never miss a post. Thanks for reading!
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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, and any and all money will go towards the fees for this blog. Thanks!!