It’s not about the Grim Reaper exactly, but Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire features a glum angel who falls in love with a circus trapeze artist in Berlin and has to choose between his immortality and earthly love. Remade with Meg Ryan and Nic Cage as City of Angels.
Damn hamster ate my post.
Anyway. Maybe someone can help me out. I remember a story from years ago, probably published in Analog with a similar theme. The narrator describes the previous year. At some point people begin to realize that no one is dying. This goes on the entire year until New Years Eve. At the stroke of midnight 3,000 people die from flying champagne corks. The entire planet dies off in sometimes bizarre ways. The narrator is one of the last survivors and is determined to cheat death. Can’t remember the author or title.
I own the “Meet Joe Black” dvd which I bought years ago, and it came with the original “Death Takes a Holiday” as an extra (separate disc, I think). I’m not sure if that edition is still available or not, but amazon lists MJB for under 10 bucks.
Hmmm. I just bought MJB. I’ll have to look over the menus a bit more carefully.