Beautiful film in spite of itself

Rating: Null/10 (4 May 2002)

I have seen both the original 1934 film of Death Takes a Holiday, the 1971 TV-movie version, as well as the play on stage numerous times. I agree that in many ways, this film is superior, though mostly because of the very dated acting styles in the original. Also, Claire Forlani turns in a luminous performance, as does Anthony Hopkins (as always).
There are two elements from the original play which I miss in this remake. One is that the premise of the story is that Death appears in human form in order to find out why humans cling so desperately to life. The other is that nothing on earth dies while he is on 'holiday.' I realize these concepts don't fit well with the 'Hollywood-ized' happy ending, but I do feel they're at the core of the story. In all the stage versions and both earlier filmed versions, I found the premise of the girl (originally Grazia, then Peggy) being one who constantly defies--and seeks--death, who then goes with him, a very romantic ending. It always felt as if she became immortal.
Oddly, in all film versions, the role of Death has been miscast. Brad Pitt is quite wooden, March silent-movie stiff, Markham a little too ingratiating. Onstage, this role is usually cast with a true romantic leading man: handsome, suave, sensual. This does help make the whole story work. The original play's premise is that death arrives to take Grazia as she crashes her car, then he finds he can't because of her beauty and vitality. I find this a much more solid and believable foundation for the story than the convoluted meeting between a guy and Susan in a coffee shop, and then at a dinner table. Originally, SHE is the reason for it all--why he takes human form, why he takes a holiday, why he seeks the answer to his question.
By opening up the film as Hollywood will do, all the stuff about Hopkins's business is extraneous and the idea of Joe attending at board meetings (and the IRS resolution) rather preposterous. The original confined the story to a remote country house, the 1971 one confines the now Kennedy-like family to a private island. Meet Joe Black did the opposite and brought in the whole world and is the worse for it.
Yet MJB does work, in spite of itself. Perhaps because the idea of seeing death in person and trying to figure out how he thinks is quite compelling. Despite his stature, Hopkins is not the center of the film, nor should he be. Forlani is, and it is she who makes her scenes with Pitt work. I was prepared to hate this film because I've loved the original story since I first saw it in about 1954, yet I find the film compelling and enchanting.