Death of a Salesman (1951)

Director:

Laslo Benedek

Writers:

Arthur Miller (play)
Stanley Roberts (writer)

Release Date:

9 May 1952 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Career | Intimacy | Failure | Opportunist | Midlife Crisis

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Fredric March	...	Willy Loman
Mildred Dunnock	...	Linda Loman
Kevin McCarthy	...	Biff Loman
Cameron Mitchell	...	Happy Loman
Howard Smith	...	Charley
Royal Beal	...	Ben
Don Keefer	...	Bernard
Jesse White	...	Stanley
Claire Carleton	...	Miss Francis
David Alpert	...	Howard Wagner

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:15

Company:

Stanley Kramer Productions

Trivia:

In his autobiography "Timebends", Arthur Miller speculates that his unconscious mind picked the name "Loman" for Willy Loman, the protagonist of "Death of a Salesman", based on his conscious experience of being thrilled by from _Testament des Dr. Mabuse, Das (1933)_, which featured a character named "Inspector Lohmann".

Quotes:

Linda Loman: Attention must finally be paid to such a man. He's not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Facing the Past (2005) (V)

Best version of Death of a Salesman

I am old enough to have seen the Federick March depiction of Willy Loman in the 1951 TV production of Death of a Salesman, but young enough to remember it well. It was fantastic, and no other actor has come close to March's superb rendition. All the other actors were perfect for their roles as well. I've also seen the Lee J. Cobb and the Dustin Hoffman versions, but they pale in comparison. Actually, as much as I like Hoffman, he was just not effective in this role. And Cobb didn't seem vulnerable enough. Another commenter said that Arthur Miller did not like this 1951 March-acted version, but I must disagree strongly with the Maestro of Drama. Sometimes artists just don't know...they create; we watch, observe, absorb. My partner is an artist (a painter) and although he is a genius, in regards to the creation of his work,his ideas of which ones are the strongest or most affective works just don't jive with the publics' or my perception. I think that's what must have been going on when Miller gave the opinion about this 1951 TV play. I would give up all my Woody Allen, Fellini and Scorsese DVDs for one copy of this masterpiece. Let me know if you find it in DVD or VHS(or 16mm!) It was one of the best things ever produced for TV --- EVER.