Mitchell Leisen's "Death Takes a Holiday" came to many people's attention with the release of "Meet Joe Black" in 1998. I just watched the insipid remake, so I naturally I had to watch the original. I understand that the idea behind the original - itself based on a play - was to look at what makes us human. This movie is a worthy effort, although I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. It takes a long time for things to happen. Still, it's better than the remake.