Death of a Salesman (1985) (TV)

Director:

Volker Schlöndorff

Writers:

Arthur Miller (teleplay)
Arthur Miller (play)

Release Date:

16 August 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 | Self Deprecation | Suicide Attempt

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Dustin Hoffman	...	Willy Loman
Kate Reid	...	Linda Loman
John Malkovich	...	Biff
Stephen Lang	...	Happy
Charles Durning	...	Charley
Louis Zorich	...	Ben
David S. Chandler	...	Bernard
Jon Polito	...	Howard
Kathryn Rossetter	...	Woman from Boston (as Kathy Rossetter)
Tom Signorelli	...	Stanley
Linda Kozlowski	...	Miss Forsythe
Karen Needle	...	Letta
Anne McIntosh	...	Jenny
Michael Quinlan	...	Waiter

Directed by
Volker Schlöndorff		(as Volker Schlondorff)

Writing credits
Arthur Miller		(teleplay)
Arthur Miller		(play)

Produced by
Robert F. Colesberry	....	producer
Michael Nozik	....	associate producer
Nellie Nugiel	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Alex North

Cinematography by
Michael Ballhaus

Film Editing by
Mark Burns
David Ray

Production Design by
Tony Walton

Art Direction by
John Kasarda

Set Decoration by
Robert J. Franco

Costume Design by
Ruth Morley

Makeup Department
Ann Belsky	....	makeup designer: Dustin Hoffman
Alan D'Angerio	....	hair designer
Victor DeNicola	....	hair stylist (as Victor De Nicola Jr.)
Robert Laden	....	makeup artist: Dustin Hoffman (as Bob Laden)
Rita Ogden	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Michael Nozik	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ann Egbert	....	second assistant director (as Ann B. Egbert)
Joseph P. Reidy	....	first assistant director (as Joseph Reidy)
Tomaz Remec	....	dga trainee

Art Department
Tommy Allen	....	property master (as Tom Allen)
Charles Cecil	....	set builder
Ann Edgeworth	....	inside property assistant (as Ann L. Edgeworth)
W. Steven Graham	....	assistant art director
Stephen J. Lineweaver	....	head set dresser
Anamarie Michnevich	....	set dresser
Joseph Petruccio Sr.	....	construction coordinator
Richard A. Ventre	....	master scenic artist

Sound Department
Harriet Fidlow	....	sound editor: Hastings Sound Editorial, Inc.
Tom Fleischman	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Grossack	....	sound apprentice: Hastings Sound Editorial, Inc.
Danny Michael	....	production sound mixer
Abe Nejad	....	assistant sound editor: Hastings Sound Editorial, Inc.
Brenda Ray	....	additional boom operator
Dan Sable	....	sound editor: Hastings Sound Editorial, Inc.
Lynn Sable	....	assistant sound editor: Hastings Sound Editorial, Inc.
Elizabeth Schwartz	....	assistant sound editor: Hastings Sound Editorial, Inc.
Jess Soraci	....	sound editor: Hastings Sound Editorial, Inc.
Marc-Jon Sullivan	....	boom operator (as Marc Jon Sullivan)

Camera and Electrical Department
Florian Ballhaus	....	second assistant camera
Arthur Blum	....	dolly grip
Stefan Czapsky	....	electric supervisor
Stefan Czapsky	....	grip
James Donahue	....	electrician
David M. Dunlap	....	focus puller
Anthony Dunne	....	grip
Morris Flam	....	gaffer
Michael Levine	....	camera operator
Dennis J. Lootens	....	grip
Charlie Marroquin	....	grip
Michael Papadapolous	....	electrician (as Michael Papadopoulos)
Susan Starr	....	second assistant camera
Allen Stillman	....	grip
Michael Trim	....	best boy
Barry Wetcher	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Todd M. Thaler	....	extras casting (as Todd Michael Thaler)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Taylor Kincaid Cheek	....	wardrobe supervisor
Sharon Lynch	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Jon Neuburger	....	assistant editor (as Jon Neuberger)
Judy Silberstein	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Thomas A. Carlson	....	assistant music editor (as Tom Carlson)
Fred Steiner	....	orchestrator
Dan Wallin	....	music mixer: Record Plant Scoring
Kenneth Wannberg	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Thomas Reilly	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Judith Lyn Brown	....	assistant: producer
Joe Caroff	....	title designer
Terry Fred Cassidy	....	production assistant
Susan Gammie	....	assistant: Ms. Morley
Shelley Houis	....	production office coordinator
Anna Graham Hunter	....	intern
Mary A. Kelly	....	continuity
Thomas A. Kelly	....	technical staging consultant
Robert Mullis	....	assistant: Ms. Reid
Nellie Nugiel	....	production accountant
Franke Piazza	....	assistant: Mr. Hoffman
Dale Pierce-Johnson	....	office assistant
Sharret Rose	....	assistant production accountant
Michael Rudman	....	stager: Broadway production
David Sardi	....	production assistant
Noel Tirsch	....	intern
Aaron D. Weisblatt	....	picture apprentice
Gilbert S. Williams	....	production assistant: studio (as Gilbert Williams)
Laura Zaccaro	....	intern
Robert Whitehead	....	producer: original stage production (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Roxbury Productions
• Punch Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1985) (USA) (TV)
• AMLF (1989) (France) (theatrical)
• Tobis (1985) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Artificial Eye (1988) (UK)
• Image Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2003) (USA) (VHS) (also DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Lighthouse DVD (2001) (UK) (DVD)
• Missing in Action (MIA) (2001) (UK) (VHS) (as MIA Video Entertainment)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2011) (Australia) (TV)
• Vid Canada (2003) (Canada) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1987) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Worldvision Enterprises

Other Companies

• Hastings Sound Editorial  sound post-production
• Record Plant Scoring  music mixing
• Marvin A. Krauss Associates  special thanks
• Computer Opticals  opticals

Also Known As:

Runtime:

136 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

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:

Kaufman Astoria Studios - 3412 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Roxbury Productions

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 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:

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

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.