Death of a Salesman (1985) (TV)

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:

Father | Intimacy | Family Crisis | Problem | Atmospheric

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:

Tod eines Handlungsreisenden, Der (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 talking to himself, drinking milk, the level of milk changes in his glass before he takes a drink.

Quotes:

Linda Loman: [to Willy's grave] Willy, dear, I can't cry. Why did you do it? I search and search and I search, and I can't understand it, Willy. I made the last payment on the house today. Today, dear. And there'll be nobody home.
[a sob rises in her throat]
Linda Loman: We're free and clear.
[sobs]
Linda Loman: We're free.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Tobey Maguire/Sisqo (#25.17)" (2000)

Some of the best acting you will ever see

This is a truly outstanding perfomance of what may be the most important american play ever written. Hoffman and Malkovich seem to become the characters they play in what may be their greatest performances. This is an incredible drama that can be interpreted many ways... it's subtle and powerfull. Death of a salesman is about a man's realization that he isn't living the american dream he once thought he was. It's about self-deception. It's about trying to keep up with the Jones's. It's about pursuing your dreams, or regretting that you didn't. The plot is nothing special because it's simply a device that Mailer uses to explore these themes.