Customer Rating: 
Summary: death rocks
Comment: loved it....much better than Meet Joe Black with Brad Pitt. Andrew L Weber should make it a broadway play ala Phantom....Death Rocks ! especially on holiday !
Customer Rating: Summary: Good old movie
Comment: This movie is the original "Death Takes a Holiday". It has good acting and realistic sets. A great "popcorn" and date movie. Enjoyable for men and women. OK for younger viewers too - no sex or violence in this old movie.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Sudden Death Is God's Mercy.
Comment: We, as human beings, search for the meaning in bad things which happen to us, and we may find our belief systems just don't hold up anymore. Finding meaning is not the same as finding rewards. "During a lenghty illness, we have a chance to make life changes while the person is still alive -- and we may be much readier to 'move on' that those dealing with a sudden death. We have to consider the unexpectedness of an auto accident which takes the life of a young person, which brings anguish due to the circumstances. We could not say goodbye or tell the loved one how much we love them. It's an overwhelming reality which leads to extreme sadness.
Those who are having trouble finding direction "may have hidden anger, which can masquerade as depression." One widow divulged, "I have this hangover of a depression and have been diagnosed with post-traumatic disorder...have flashbacks and nightmares." Certain areas of one's life take longer to heal than others. "A lot of time goes toward digging deep in the wound and getting out the infection." One mother admitted, "Every year for Christmas, I still get a game for my kids" even though they are past the age for such games. The main thing is to stay active and creative; see yourself as someone with something to offer the world. Staying connected with others, which those in bad relationships sometimes forfeit for the sake of peace is critical for mental health." Don't take anything for granted. We have to help ourselves to 'let go' and 'move on' to pursue our own lives. Life doesn't have to be perfect to be fulfilling. "Letting go of my desires, of believing I knew best, and just spreading my wings, was my spiritual awakening." Spirituality forged during desperate times "is uniquely meaningful." Although our culture generally sees death and bereavement in negative terms, "there is a richness to the grief process that is seldom acknowledged."
Sometimes we grow not by learning lessons from the dead but by dealing with the aftermath of a death." The more you think about others in terms of a higher power as practiced in the principles of Al-Anon, the more peace you have. "It helped me forgive myself for not being able to help her more."
Here is a good metaphor for the year following a loved one's death: "When you plant winter wheat, you look around, everything is bleak. You plant it, and nothing happens...but, when you least expect it, the following spring -- there it is!" Ofttimes, a sign appears to ease the pain such as a "glorious shooting star as it cross the dark, winter sky." After seeing the star, "I began to think that there was something beyond myself...the possibility that our spirits and the spirits of human beings everywhere remain connected even after death."
Some lingering slow deaths bring a sense of relief to the person left behind: such losses can sometimes transform our lives in dramatic and positive ways. Barbara Wood, in her book GOOD GRIEF, wrote: "The realisation can not only be liberating but also prevents long-term feeling of alienation, especially in situations like the loss of a parent." My dad's death, though I was no part of it, enabled me to return to a place I loved where life was good for me, growing up with a fierce independence and determination. After some hardships, I met the right people to set me on a path to make a public service poor folks in particular need to survive a little better. God had a mission for me in my hometown, and the unsettled life prepared me for the task of speaking up for others. God does indeed work in mysterious ways.
Customer Rating: Summary: Romance Through a Glass Darkly
Comment: From the moment a strange shadow seems to be following the car lovely Evelyn Venable is riding in the mood for this beautiful and darkly romantic film is set. When death itself takes on physical form to understand better why humans fear him so, the stage is set for a rich and unusual film experience.
One of the great films of the 1930's, it is not as well-remembered as it should be. There is a strange and almost haunting atmosphere to what in the end is realy a romantic look at love itself. Fredric March gives a solid performance as that which we most fear but do not understand. He is appropriately over the top and out of place on earth. Evelyn Veneable is memorable as the girl, Grazia, who Prince Sirki (March) comes to love, experiencing for the first time what it means to be human.
But the world becomes chaotic while Death is on his vacation and Sirki must return to his grim duties. The question is whether the lovely Grazia will still fear him or choose love, even if it means going with him to what lies beyond. It is talky but so full of its darkly romantic atmosphere that it is almost hypnotic. This is truly a masterpiece of mood, the perfect blend of subject matter and atmosphere.
March's "Death" is the focal point but Henry Travers has some fine moments among a cast which includes Gail Patrick. It is Venable herself who carries this film, however, her beautiful eyes and face capturing with emotion and expression both fear and love. It is a true shame more films of this quality did not come her way in the 1930's.
I have never forgotten the first time I saw this film and having seen it more than once since that time have still found beauty in its presentation of love which might live far beyond the shadow which follows us all. This is one of director Mitchell Leisen's finest films. It is a lyrical and compelling look at death and love and an experience no film buff should miss. Highly recommended.
Customer Rating: Summary: Death take a holiday
Comment: I was only 12 when I first seen this film but I think most of us is missing the point. Death took a holiday people stopped dying and death fell in love. And instead of being separate they were related death and life and love. I loved the dialect. The words they used were English in its proper usage. The romance was in the words not the characters. I was moved by the audio of this film. I actually understood it better than the modern day Joe Black which was made for visual purposes. I love the old films they had lessons and meanings today most just sell sex. This film is how you portray a message without desire but just what if death could take a holiday and fell in love? Unselfish but selfish he wanted to take a break from his job only to learn in his job there was love. People needed to cross over so people could enter a new realm where I believe love calls for them.
Like I said before I think some people miss the message in some movies this is a if movie.
