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)
半夜本打算分两天看完的，但剧情还是吸引了我看到结束。虽然还是避免不了一些印度电影的通病，无法融入剧情的歌舞之类的，可整部电影带给人的只有震撼。受害者妻子的塑造我非常喜欢，坚强的女人虽然贫穷但坚守信念。
警察犯罪漏洞太大了，这也给律师很多的机会，没有摔跤好看，感觉差了点意思，为真实的律师点赞，有信仰才有希望
其实我们也能拍出这样的电影 只是没人敢拍也没人敢过审
这破电影被豆瓣封神了。剧本节奏太慢了，看不下去，15分钟弃剧。
虽然这样说很狭隘，但每多看一部印度片，就越希望离那片可怕的土地远一点。是真的从心底发怵。
卖惨片，依旧对印片反感，平面化人物，特色是坏人必暴力，但大家都诚实，多好的法治环境，然后硬插入特色歌曲（这次没舞蹈），不知所谓。
致敬每一位为底层人民奋斗的英雄，致敬每一个推广赞美这种行为的艺术家
看误杀的时候就疑惑 印度是不是没有广电总局
印度现实题材的片子，永远在我心中有一席之地。
印度电影因为受众原因，通常拍得很长（据说影院里好避暑），表现手法中规中矩，通俗易懂，艺术性一般。但也正因此，电影受众极广。印度民众对于心灵和社会问题的关注度与思辨爱好，千年邻居只能汗颜。
而律师处理事件的全过程毫无波澜，没收希望到失落，无助到转机的情绪切换，太平了。
所谓公义基于法律和良心。即使展示悲剧，也避免了发生更多的悲剧。何用避而不谈，粉饰太平。不存在绝对的黑，也永远有追求公义之人。敬佩那些推动社会进步的人。
天啊！！！怎么过审的！！！中国电影别学好莱坞，别搬韩国了！！！赶紧学学印度吧！！！
转折的太突然，剧情过于冗长。。。但是不妨碍是一部优秀的影片。
为什么会选择性无视突兀的歌舞和转场，还有一塌糊涂的剪辑节奏，时长？
将近三个小时，有些冗长了。电影本身拍的也就那样吧，分数有些虚高，印度底层贱民遭受种姓制度的荼毒之苦。只是敢于把家底里那些糟粕的社会顽疾一股脑的呈现给世人，就这一点勇气来讲，还是很值得肯定的。
故事很不错。人物塑造方式和整体的叙事方式实在太过时了。一个政治事件，法制宣传被拍成了浪漫叙事的个人英雄主义。对这种毫无思辨，嚼碎了喂的观众讨好型叙事接受无能。
还有人为不平等在战斗，即使是烂到骨子里的封建制度。
为了正义，哪怕天崩地裂，影片正是一个根据真实故事改编的关于追寻正义的故事。人权律师钱德鲁为无端受冤的低种族部落家庭伸张正义、抵抗黑暗，最终通过法律的武器赢得胜利，恢复正义。
女主角和其他的村民第一次进富丽堂皇的法庭的时候，他们睁大眼睛四处看的样子真实得让人心疼。作为一部电影我想给它五星，可是看到现实里的女主原型25年来依然住在那栋破屋里我就下不去手了。豆瓣的印度高分电影结局总是美得像童话，可是有现实做比对的时候，这份美丽很伤人。
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