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:

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 _Testament des Dr. Mabuse, Das (1933)_, which featured a character named "Commisioner Lohmann".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Willy is found in the bathroom by Stanley, he has a glass of scotch sitting on the toilet in one shot and not in any other one.

Quotes:

Biff Loman: I run out of that building and I see... the sky. I see all the things I love in this world. The work, the food, the time to sit and smoke. And I look at this pen and I ask myself, "What the hell am I grabbing this thing for? Why am I trying to become something I don't wanna become when all I want is out there waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am?"

Movie Connections:

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

Hoffman & Malkovich at their best!

The movie is breathtaking, enough said. The story is forever timeless as America's truest drama. The salesman is in all of us. Hoffman and Malkovich together are perfection. Both characters are brought out onto the screen as fresh and as powerful as ever. Hoffman gives 100% of his soul in ever scene. Malkovich erases his personality after ever scene and is reborn with the scene to come. Their identities are repeatedly stolen and found again throughout the story. Almost 20 years later, the movie continues to be an excellent adaptation from the original show.