Timeless, A Classic Whose Time Will Come.

Rating: 8/10 (11 March 2009)

Many films get made with such passion and craft but get simply released at the wrong time. We look upon Classic films, and forget that many of these great pictures flopped in their era. Neither the critics nor the audiences grasped the intent and strength of those stories and the way in which those stories were told. But years later through cable, VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray we've been given an opportunity to reappraise films like "Meet Joe Black".
This film should've been a no-brainer. With up-and-comer Brad Pitt and Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins holding the leads audiences should've run to the cinemas. But, alas, a three hour long love story/drama proved too daunting for a 1998 audience.
The story is a simple yet elegant fairytale. Death (Pitt) takes the body of a man and needs a guide (Hopkins) through a life away from his responsibilities. And along the way Death finds what he's been missing, love.
This is old-school film making. When a director was allowed to take his time to tell a story, to let his characters and dialog breathe. The actors are all superb. The photography, the design, and the costumes are top-notch. The settings are absolutely grand. And the score by Thomas Newman is one of the best he's ever done. And there is no hint of digital trickery. The film could've easily been made in Hollywood's golden era.
And I feel as more people see this, and recognize the timelessness of it's themes of love and life, it will become the classic it deserves to be. A modern day "The Bishop's Wife".