Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

Death Takes a Holiday Blu-ray Movie Review

The Grim Reaper decides to party with the wealthy

Death Takes a Holiday is a break from the norm for Hollywood as its a romantic drama that adds an element of macabre into the equation. Adapted from the original play La Morte in Vacanza (as written by the Italian playwright Alberto Casella), the film was produced by E. Lloyd Sheldon (The Glass Key, The Last Outpost). The storyline revolves around the undeniably charming Prince Sirki (Fredric March) and a wealthy group of socialites who surround him while attending a special party for holiday. These socialites include the insanely rich and somewhat stubborn Duke Lambert (Guy Standing).

The party has an unexpected guest in attendance as Prince Sirki is not exactly as he seems at first glance: The Grim Reaper (otherwise known to the world as “Death”) has decided to take on the form of a human being. What human being does Death decide to take on? He selects none other than the noble Sirki for his guest appearance.

Death joins in on the festivities of a party over the course of its three day jubilee vacation. He meets the beautiful Grazia (Evelyn Venable), who is an enchanting young woman whom he starts to fall madly in love with within mere moments together. Meanwhile, there are some side players at the party including the humorous Baron Cesarea (performed by Henry Travers, who played Clarence in It's a Wonderful Life) who add to Death's entertainment.

"Look at that UFO! Could it be that this film has space aliens and death at the same time?"

The concept of the feature is undeniably an impressive one. It's certainly not what one would expect for a film produced in 1934. The pre code element of the production might have something to do with that aspect. They story goes into directions one wouldn't expect from the start. The screenplay written by Maxwell Anderson (All Quiet on the Western Front, Key Largo) and Gladys Lehman (Luxury Liner, Two Girls and a Sailor) tries to expand on it's interesting concept but ultimately fails to muster up enough enthusiasm for things to go down as smoothly as the story could have in theory.

Having the focus of the feature be on death having a vacation, falling in love, and having a good ol' time while hanging out with a bunch of wealthy snobs is not exactly as effective as one might suppose it could be. While the idea behind the film is unique and creative, I can't say I enjoyed the adventures of Death on display. The storytelling left a lot to be desired and I rather disliked the end result. (I also found the final scene to be rather grating rather than satisfying.)

One good aspect of the production is the unique visual effects by Gordon Jennings (The War of the Worlds, Sunset Boulevard). The film is ahead of its time in this regard. Though there are only a few sequences which utilize Death in his gothic dark-gown form (and he looks remarkably like a Death Eater or Dementor) the visualization for the Grim Reaper was effectively done. Given more limited technology at the time of the production, I feel this was a reasonably good effort by Jennings. These scenes added a nice touch to the film.

The stunning back and white cinematography by Charles Lang (Sabrina, Some Like It Hot) also feels fitting for the production. I can't even imagine what a feature like this would feel like in color. The cinematography is definitely better in black and white than it would have been if the feature was produced today. The dark imagery befits the storyline well. With rather workmanlike direction by Mitchell Leisen (Remember the Night, The Mating Season), Death Takes a Holiday feels uninspired and lacks the creative gel necessary to make a concept as peculiar as the film has actually successful. While fans of gothic film productions from the 1930's might find Death Takes a Holiday interesting for its production merits, the end result was certainly underwhelming.

Death Takes a Holiday Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Death Takes a Holiday arrives on Blu-ray for the first time worldwide from distributor Kino Lorber with a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation. The feature is presented in the original 1.37:1 full frame aspect ratio. The release has excellent clarity and detail. This is a sharp image which displays the black and white cinematography with vibrancy. However, there are a number of minor imperfections present on the transfer as well: regular scratches and damage to the print, however minor, distract from the overall presentation.

The opening title cards are also windowboxed in the encode with black bars on the top and bottom before the first scene onward has the full 1.37:1 aspect ratio. The thin scratches and print wear is consistently noticeable and distract from the viewing experience to a degree. It's as though the film could have used a better restoration effort. However, black levels are reasonable and the photography still appears to have great detail retained and looks naturally filmic throughout.

Though there are many inconsistencies on the video presentation, Death Takes a Holiday has more positive elements than drawbacks and the transfer still comes recommended. The encode quality on this release is quite impressive to behold with a strong 30.03 mbps bit-rate. The release capably presents the feature.

Death Takes a Holiday Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unlike the mixed video presentation, the audio is presented with a clearer and more satisfying DTS HD MA track. The dual mono audio presentation capably reproduces the dialogue and the original sound design. Voices are clear and consistently well defined and the track sounds sharp for a film of its age. The track clearly underwent some good restorative efforts and is free from annoying cracks or hiss in the presentation. Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing are also provided on the release.

Death Takes a Holiday Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Film Historian Kat Ellinger

Death Takes a Holiday Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2 min. 23 sec.)

The release also includes trailers for other releases from distributor Kino Lorber: Intermezzo (HD, 2 min. 23 sec.), Made for Each Other (HD, 2 min. 05 sec.), Nothing Sacred (HD, 2 min. 05 sec.), A Star is Born (SD, 2 min. 48 sec.), The Young in Heart (HD, 3min. 25 sec.), Inherit the Wind (SD, 4 min. 5 sec.), and The Iceman Cometh (SD, 2 min. 36 sec.)

Death Takes a Holiday Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Featuring some impressive performances but a storyline which leaves much to be desired, Death Takes a Holiday is an unfortunate disappointment that never manages to grab hold with its storytelling. The film feels like an early attempt by Hollywood to make a macabre film and the end result is certainly underwhelming. The concept, while invigorating, is poorly executed. The Blu-ray release is also somewhat inconsistent. While the scan is impressive there is also some print damage. The supplemental package is also rather underwhelming. Death Takes a Holiday is worth skipping.