Death of a Salesman (1985) (TV)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Volker Schlöndorff

Writer:

Arthur Miller (play)

Release Date:

15 September 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Its passion cannot be overstated. Its power must not be overlooked.

Plot:

An aging traveling salesman recognizes the emptiness of his life and tries to fix it.

Plot Keywords:

Salesman | Traveling Salesman | Aging | Despair | American Football

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Dustin Hoffman	...	Willy Loman
Kate Reid	...	Linda Loman
John Malkovich	...	Biff Loman
Stephen Lang	...	Harold 'Happy' Loman
Charles Durning	...	Charley
Louis Zorich	...	Ben Loman
David S. Chandler	...	Bernard, Charley's son
Jon Polito	...	Howard, Willy's Boss
Kathryn Rossetter	...	Woman from Boston (as Kathy Rossetter)
Tom Signorelli	...	Stanley the waiter at Frank's Chop House
Linda Kozlowski	...	Miss Forsythe
Karen Needle	...	Letta, Forsythe's friend
Anne McIntosh	...	Jenny
Michael Quinlan	...	Waiter

Also Known As:

Der Tod eines Handlungsreisenden (West Germany)

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Netherlands:AL (DVD rating) | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 (bw)

Filming Locations:

Astoria Studios, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Bioskop Film

Trivia:

Adapted from the 1984 Broadway production directed by Michael Rudman starring Dustin Hoffman. The original production had been staged in 1949 by Elia Kazan.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Willy is playing cards with his neighbor, the cards he's holding change between shots.

Quotes:

Linda Loman: Attention must be finally paid to such a person.

Movie Connections:

Featured in American Arts & Culture Presents John Horatio Malkovich 'Dance of Despair & Disillusionment' (2000) (V)

Depressive and Tragic Theatrical Movie With Awesome Performances

On the age of sixty and something years, the salesman Willy Loman (Dustin Hoffman) realizes that he is a loser and his empty life was a worthless fraud. The disturbed and deranged Willy becomes delusional, mixing fantasy and reality, and disclosing secrets of his family.

"Death of the Salesman" is a very depressive and tragic theatrical movie with awesome performances, mainly of Dustin Hoffman, Kate Reid and John Malkovitch. I have never read Arthur Miller's novel or seen the movie or the play; therefore I did not expect such a sad story with so complex characters. The story, in the 40's, shows the evil face of the capitalism (and the American Dream), and the character of Dustin Hoffman becomes insane when he sees that he is a loser and his life a complete failure: he is paying the last installment of his old house after thirty years of sacrifice; his sons have not been successful in life; his old car is broken; his old refrigerator needs repair; he does not have any money after more than thirty years working for the same company and in the end he is treated like a street dog and fired. For a viewer that does not know this drama (like me), I recommend to see this movie in a happy day, otherwise he or she may become too much depressed with such heart-breaking story. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Morte do Caixeiro-Viajante" ("Death of the Salesman")