Save your money for something good and enjoyable

How sad is this?

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I saw this movie in the 70's and it has been on my mind ever since. I look for it from time to time, but have never been successful in locating a copy. It's hard to believe I've been hoping to see it again for over 40 years! Recently I've started wondering if it really was all that great, but after bumping into the reviews I just read here, my desire to see it again has returned. It was good to see that others were haunted by this film also.... If anyone knows where to get a copy of this movie or has information about when it could air, I would be very excited to know! If for nothing else, to be done looking. I must have really loved this movie!

While snorkeling in the ocean, "Peggy Chapman" (Yvette Mimieux) gets tangled up in some underwater kelp. She wakes up on the beach and sees a man sitting next to her named "David Smith" (Monte Markham) who she thanks for saving her life. He is then invited to spend the weekend with her family and it becomes obvious that there is something different about him. Not only that, but the elderly patriarch of the family named "Judge Earl Chapman" (Melvyn Douglas) feels extremely uneasy in his presence. Coincidently, nobody in the entire world dies during the time he is a guest at the house. Anyway, rather than divulge the rest of the story and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that this wasn't bad for a made-for-television movie. I enjoyed the performance of Melvyn Douglas who seemed to harbor a genuine fear of death. Likewise, Yvette Mimieux seemed tailor made for the part of the rich and attractive young woman who lives life to the utmost. On the other hand, while Monte Markham's performance was adequate, I thought his image could have used a couple of scenes where he inspired a bit more horror. Additionally, while there was certainly quite a few conversations about death and dying, I felt that most of them were empty and vague when they should have been richer and more meaningful. In other words, it seemed that deep philosophical or religious topics were glossed over or not fully addressed. Be that as it may, this was a decent film which I rate as slightly above average.

It is easy to dismiss this film as a cheap remake of the original Fredric March vehicle, but there is so much more here than simple recapitulation! The story is timeless. It takes a very definite philosophical stance on a subject which will always be relevant to all of us. Namely, how shall we cope with our own deaths when the reality confronts us? What impressed me most about this production was the way in which death was presented. Death appears here as a gentle, benign presence. This presentation is a far cry from the monstrous horror we have come to expect from death. Death in this film is not a Grim Reaper wishing to engulf us in his inevitability. He wishes only to present himself as a fact of life. To understand himself and be understood by others as an experience which has a unique time and place for everyone. Occurring not one moment sooner nor later than necessary, and then as something not to be feared, but rather embraced in its turn. There are other reasons to watch this rare production of the story. The fine cast: the beautiful Yvette Mimieux is in her prime here and perfect for the title role. I say "title role" because there is actually a dual title role here. It is the interaction between Yvette Mimieux's character and Monte Markham as Death that sets up the central dilemma that drives the picture. Myrna Loy and Melvyn Douglas are fine in supporting roles. Laurindo Almeida's haunting score creates an atmosphere of romantic suspense even while it facilitates contemplation. So why doesn't this production have a better reputation? I suspect it's because, while the actors fulfill their roles admirably, they do so in a nuts and bolts manner which lacks drama. This production of the story is therefore out of step with the prevailing value in Hollywood: entertainment. For maximum entertainment value, a picture with greater dramatic impact is preferable. Nevertheless, it is testimony to the dramatic impact and eternal relevance of this story that it has been remade several times since with great success, most notably in "Meet Joe Black." "Death Takes A Holiday" is a fine, underrated film which I give three stars!

This was an updating of the classic play and film from the early 1930s, with a good cast including Monty Markham, Yvette Mimieux, Melvin Douglas and Myrna Loy. It was certainly above average as a made for television film, and was in color. However, Mitchell Leisin's black and white movie still looks quite striking today, and the addition of color was hardly necessary for the story line.The only points I wanted to add to discussing this particular version was that they added an element not in the original. Albert Casella's play was set in his native Italy, and Leisin had kept that in his film version. But in this update, it was set in the U.S., in modern times (since it was shot in 1970 let us say the 1970s). But Duke Lambert's family is now the Chapman family. The Chapmans are a wealthy and politically active family, with Douglas and Loy as Patriarch and Matriarch (and son Kerwin Matthews is a U.S. Senator) who have had serious losses and tragedies over the years. In fact, one of the early sequences (where two grandsons are on a boat that looks like it is going to be hit by an out-of-control speedboat) is typical of the type of family tragedies they have suffered. As Death (Markham) is now taking his holiday, the disaster is averted. Of course, the idea behind this change was based on the number one political/wealthy family in America: the Kennedys. It was a curious, and I would say unnecessary change, but I suspect that the teleplay writers felt that it would help bring home the message more if we were thinking of American wealth and privilege at stake instead of old European aristocracy.