Death of a Salesman (1985)

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

Director:

Volker Schlöndorff (as Volker Schlondorff)

Writers:

Arthur Miller (teleplay), Arthur Miller (play)

Stars:

Dustin Hoffman, Kate Reid, John Malkovich

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dustin Hoffman	...	William '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
Jon Polito	...	Howard Wagner
Kathryn Rossetter	...	Woman from Boston (as Kathy Rossetter)
Tom Signorelli	...	Stanley
Linda Kozlowski	...	Miss Forsythe
Karen Needle	...	Letta
Anne McIntosh	...	Jenny
Michael Quinlan	...	Waiter

Storyline

Salesman Willy Loman is in a crisis. He's about to lose his job, he can't pay his bills, and his sons Biff and Happy don't respect him and can't seem to live up to their potential. He wonders what went wrong and how he can make things up to his family.

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Plot Keywords:

salesman | traveling salesman | aging | capitalism | begging for money | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 September 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dood van een handelsreiziger

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Roxbury Productions,Punch Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

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.

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Goofs

When Willy sits on the chair 120 minutes into the movie, Biff throws himself down at his feet and clutches his shirt. In one shot, Biff has his left arm on Willy's right shoulder outside his arm, in the next shot, he has his arm on Willy's right shoulder inside his arm, in the next shot he has it outside his arm again.

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Quotes

Linda Loman: Now, you be careful on the stairs. The cheese is on the middle shelf.

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Connections

Featured in Being John Malkovich (1999)

User Reviews

Hoffman as Loman does it again

This TV adaptation of Arthur Miller's most successful play benefits from the serious playing of Dustin Hoffman in the lead as failing salesman Willy Loman. Miller's play takes the plight of the common man within the confines of the 'American dream' and then kicks him down.

Loman's sons are played by John Malkovich (Biff, memorable) and Stephen Lang (Happy, irritating); while his wife is played with tact and resignation by Kate Reid.

The stagey feel of this production comes across in every scene (the famous ones especially with Howard, Loman's boss; and Bernard, the successful son of Loman's colleague; and the final scenes with Linda) although they are handled very well. It would be a temptation to dismiss Willy Loman as loopy and in the throes of a breakdown and to ignore everything he says, but his words strike a chord and stay with you. 'Death of a Salesman' still has something to say to us, and a warning to give, even six decades after it was written.