Death of a Salesman (1951)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Laslo Benedek

Writers:

Arthur Miller (play)
Stanley Roberts (writer)

Release Date:

9 May 1952 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Midlife Crisis | Struggle | Redemption | Dream | Patient

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:

"Death of a Salesman" won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1949.

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 The Last Time (2006)

The Original

For reasons unknown to me, this version of the film has been unavailable for years. When I finally was able to view it recently, I thought it was excellent, and that Frederic March was the ideal Willy Loman. Played on Broadway by Lee J. Cobb, George C. Scott and Brian Dennehy, powerful men with powerful presences, the role has the potential to make Willy's downfall extremely dramatic, a testament to how far the mighty can fall. But in Frederic March, we better see his inherent weakness, and believe his corruption. We're not tricked into believing that his life's work was ever worthwhile, that it just fell on hard times. Instead, we see that his life was a lie from the beginning, which is what I believe the play intends.

Dustin Hoffman, another great actor, also famously played the role on Broadway and in the TV version of that production, widely available on video and therefore perhaps the version most viewers are familiar with. His interpretation was quirky and unreal, a character actor playing the lead in a modern take on a Greek tragedy, and it didn't work for me. But no matter how you feel about the play and the role, if you can catch this Frederic March version, do so; you won't regret it.