Customer Reviews

Death of a Salesman

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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This 1985 version was actually a TV movie using most of the original cast from the 1984 version of the Broadway play first written by Arthur Miller in 1949. Since then it has been performed many many times with a variety of different casts. A million years ago I even remember studying it in college. I have always wanted to see the play and was thrilled that I discovered this video.

Dustin Hoffman stars as Willie Loman, a fading traveling salesman who has made all the wrong decisions in his life. A young John Malkovich plays his son, Biff, a jobless loser. Steven Lang, is cast as his other son, Happy; Linda Reid plays Willie Loman's wife; and Charles Durning plays his neighbor, Charlie. All have been nominated for a variety of awards and Dustin Hoffman won a Golden Globe for best actor that year.

There is no doubt that this is a play, not a movie by the way it is staged. Flashbacks are achieved, for example, by the character Biff, coming on stage in a High School sweater. The characters often seem to be speaking directly to the audience also. I found all this refreshing after watching so many movies where computerized cinematography and special effects are everything.

This play doesn't need special effects. It is all in the words and the acting. And what fine acting it is! I forgot how good a play can be! Especially one by Arthur Miller. The Director, Volker Shloendorff, made his American debut with this production, his prior experience being only in France and Germany. For drama at its finest, I definitely recommend this video.

This is a great 2 act and a requiem play, and Dustin and the cast do a superb job. However, it still doesn't equal Lee J. Cobbs' portrayal of this delusional salesman and his last years of justification of his life. I would like to see the version with Frederic March as Willy. I am sure this scenario about the trials and tribulation of Willy Loman are carried out in the real world, more times than we really know. Overall, a fantastic story by Arthur Miller and worth 5 stars all the way.

I watched the movie for a class in college.

When I first started watching the movie I was less than enthusiastic about it. I wasn't a big fan of movies based on plays, or Dustin Hoffman. Watching a movie about a guy losing his mind just didn't seem like it could be a good movie. However after getting involved in the movie and really seeing what it's about, I think it is a brilliant movie. Dustin Hoffman plays Willy Loman's part perfectly-couldn't have been any better. He does such a great job, you forget your watching a movie-everything seems so real. The way Willy gets involved in his delusions, most of them about him becoming a 'failure' in life and what he did wrong, really add a different perspective. Also, the way that the movie is done in a play like style with basic backgrounds really makes you pay attention to the acting. I think this is an excellent movie, with a brilliant plot and exceptionally talented actors.

The title of this review is quote of what Charley said at Willy's funeral and he is absolutely right. It is true that Willy's deluded and unachiavable dreams lead to his miserable downfall, but it is also true that it is that exact illusions and dreams that keep Willy alive in the first place. They are his only weapon against the toisome reality that surrounds him. As Hap mentions just before Willy comes to the restaurant, Willy is never as happy as when he is looking forward to something. What he is constantly looking forward to is the fulfilment of his dreams.
In his essay "Tragedy and the common man" Arthur Miller says that each tragic hero is characterized by a 'tragic flaw'. It is the desire of that character to oppose what he does not like and this leads to his decline. Willy does not act "act agains the things that degrade" (Miller, Tragedy and the Common Man) him, he dreams against it.
I very much enjoyed this movie, because it reaches deep into the mind and the soul of a common person just like me. All of Willy's innner struggles are more or less something we all have to go through in one form or another. Willy's experience can be a lesson to all of us, the common people.

Dustin Hoffman stars in this film reproduction of the play, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. It contains superb acting, especially on behalf of Hoffman and by one of my favorite actors, John Malkovich.

The story delves into the hardships and broken dreams of the main character, Willy Loman, who represents the average joe. Because of this, it is very easy to become entrapped in the life of the struggling characters that are representative of the all too common man.

This movie is a compelling drama; the audience becomes sucked in and sympathetic towards the deteriorating family. It is the ultimate representation of the failure of the American dream.

The movie at times may drag for those who are only interested in action and special effects. There is no focus on elaborate scenery or props; instead the main focus is directed towards the poignant acting that is very well delivered by a well chosen cast.

This is a wonderful movie. Even though it was mandatory for my literature course, I can say I really loved it. I even borrowed the DVD from my professor to watch it again back home ...

Most people look pessimistic when directors try to recreate some world-famous literature masterpieces in their latest movie productions. Even though they might be right, one should take into account the stellar cast and the director as well. With such an actor as Dustin Hoffman, an Academy Award winner who received an Emmy Award for his role of Willie Loman in the movie, and internationally renowned German director Volker Schlondorff, the success of the production was simply inevitable.

With so many action movies out there full of stunning effects and computer graphics, the viewers were thirsty for a real old-school type production. When this DVD came out in January 2003, it filled this genre gap and, to my opinion, achieved good popularity not only among the connoisseurs. To my opinion, it is a brilliant asset to the film world...

Seeing the filmed version of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman left me with an intense feeling of sadness. It is a real-life story without any "decorations." It a story about the choices we sometimes make and their consequences.
Willy Loman is a common, fallible man, who realizes that in spite of his high hopes and efforts he has not achieved anything real in life. His sons are not what he wanted them to be, especially Biff. Willy made some major wrong choices and he is definitely not the "winning-type" of a man but he loves his family.
I personally saw something of my father in Willy Loman, and probably that is why it was so appealing for me. But I do not think I can see the movie again. I will simply not be able to.
Volker Schlondorff did a wonderful job, in my opinion. The actors' playing is more than excellent. I think Willy Loman's role is the best one Dustin Hoffman has ever played. John Malkovich also makes a remarkable performance as well as all the other actors

This 1985 film of DEATH OF A SALESMAN, directed by Volker Schlondorff, recreates Arthur Miller's original casting ideas for the three principal characters. Miller had originally envisioned Willy Loman, the unsuccessful traveling salesman of the title, as a physically small man with a big wife and two big, strong sons; in this film, that is exactly what we get: Dustin Hoffman as Willy, Kate Reid as Linda, John Malkovich and Stephen Lang as Biff and Happy. Whereas the original Willy on Broadway, Lee J. Cobb, was large and imposing, Hoffman's Willy is a ridiculous little man with impossibly high ideals. His is a humorous and pathetic rather than a tragic interpretation, but this is perfectly valid - there is, after all, more than one way to "be" Willy Loman. And viewers should keep in mind that Miller himself praised Hoffman's characterization, naming him among his three all-time favorite Willys (the other two being Cobb and Warren Mitchell, the British actor who played in an acclaimed London revival).
Kate Reid gives a strong performance as Linda, Willy's loving and suffering wife. She is vicious in her defense of Willy to her sons, especially at the end, when she orders them to "get out of this house...get out of my sight." John Malkovich, with his soft-spoken voice and timid manner, might seem unsuited to Biff, the "all-American football hero" - but I don't think so. To me, Malkovich's halting delivery suggest a confused young man who thinks deep thoughts but lacks the education to be able to articulate them well. Malkovich's performance is a revelation in many ways: in the restaurant and final "confrontation" scenes, for example, we sense that Biff now sees Willy realistically for the first time in his life, and is therefore able to act more fairly towards him. The tragedy, of course, is that Willy is still unable to see reality and Biff is unable to MAKE him see it.
Stephen Lang is unobtrusively excellent as Happy, Biff's neglected younger brother. Charles Durning also does an excellent job as Willy's prosperous neighbor, Charley, who has no illusions about Willy (I always laugh when Willy sneaks a look at Charley's cards during the card game scene, and Charley, without a word, turns the cards over so that Willy can see them.). Joseph Polito is fine as Charley's successful son, Bernard. The small roles are all done well, particularly Tom Signorelli as Stanley, the waiter in the restaurant and an old family friend of the Lomans ("Sure, you look...all right."). Schlondorff's direction is great, with so many telling and memorable moments. The hotel-room confrontation between Willy and Biff is affectingly done: Malkovich is touchingly vulnerable, his last cry to Willy of "You fake!" heartrending. The final confrontation between the two was filmed in several "takes," making the viewer feel that he/she is caught right in the middle of a terrifying family argument. Last but not least, Alex North's musical score, based on his score for the original Broadway production, adds much to the drama.

I was glad to find this DVD just shortly after reading the play. While I enjoyed reading it very much, I found the play to be very confusing. Just from the text alone it was hard to tell what was real and what wasn't. Seeing the film version of this triumphant play really helped a lot. "Death of a Salesman" is a sad and tragic drama that emotionally involves you from start to finish.

Willy Loman is a tired and heart-broken salesman who no longer lives in the world of reality. Instead, he is trapped in his world of delusions. Each day that passes by seems to be worse and worse for Willy. He spends way too much of his time in the past when he needs to be focusing on the future. His wife and two sons have no idea what they should do for him as they know that he is heading towards disaster in this unforgettable drama.

Like I said, to actually see this really made me appreciate the play more than just reading it from the text. It can get confusing when you only have the words, but when you see it performed it all comes together and make sense. The acting is terrific. Dustin Hoffman really does an outstanding job of playing Willy Loman. Not only does he just "act" the part out, he "becomes" Loman. I admit that I had my doubts at first, because I didn't see him playing the part. My doubts quickly fled from my mind after the first 10 minutes or so. Everybody else is also terrific as well. (Wow, look how young John Malkovitch looks!) I think the movie does a fine job doing Arthur Miller's play justice.

The DVD is pretty neat as well. The picture quality is good, considering the fact that it is an old movie. The DVD also includes a feature length documentary behind the movie, which is really entertaining, and a still gallery. While it may seem like this DVD doesn't have a lot to offer, the documentary really makes it worth-while.

"Death of a Salesman" is a powerhouse drama that hooks you from start to finish. Reading it is one thing, but to actually see it makes it much more enjoyable. If you just read the play from the text it can be pretty confusing at points. If you're looking for a great dramatic movie with great acting and writing, then this is something you should really think about checking out.

I watched this film for a class. The dialogue and italicised action words were brought to life with epiphany-like energy. I had no idea that something taught in a college classroom could be so closely related to real life. Not only a theoretical approach to, but also a practical application of self introspection or assertive evalution of the people around you can be felt in this film's presence. There are a million Willy's and Biff's in this world. The sad truth of their inherited station in life gives an overall dim view of class and class struggle that is present in our country. Biff's willingness to "lay down" gives an air of relief and stablility to the hidden consensus we all know in our minds as "the meaninglessness of life." As some people say and most agree "life sucks then you die...so why try?" This film and play proves that the nuclear family unit gives meaning to the circular activities we partake in (survival of the family)...but eventually the overall traditions and togetherness of the family will dissolve, evolve or simply die out. In this play we see the family evolving out of misunderstanding and irrational goal setting into complacency and possibly alcoholism...Happy especially.

As for the acting...it doesn't get any better than this. Take a Sunday afternoon and watch this film closely without objection or boredom. This film is a great example of "art meeting life." There is not much distinction between the two in this case.