Death of a Salesman (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
'Death of a Salesman'. Arthur Miller's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. I know that it is revered as an American classic. I respect that, but have never cared too much for the material, personally. And unfortunately, this 1951 Stanley Kramer film production - even with good performances - did not make me change my mind. Master actor Fredric March stars as Willy Loman, who has spent his entire lifetime pursuing success/greatness, only to find himself a significant failure around age 60. Yes, a failure; and also as a sort of hapless victim of several things: lost opportunities, baaad choices, as well as unreasonable expectations.
And most of all, he sees himself as a failure for his 2 impressionable sons; in particular, his eldest boy, Biff (Kevin McCarthy, excellent). Despite some strong support from his patient, loving wife Linda (Mildred Dunnock in, perhaps, her best screen performance), Willy's life completely falls apart along with his threadbare hold on reality. As the tragic narrative barrels towards a macabre ending, Willy Loman increasingly slips btwn. a more rose-colored past & his torturous present ... reliving various incidents in a desperate, scatterbrained search for how, why, & where it all went so wrong.
Through no fault but my own, I just can't seem to latch-on to this story and/or what it has to say about America and The American Dream. I kind of glaze over as the proceedings drudge on. The story is depressing. The script/source material is SO verbose. I almost get lulled into indifference by the onslaught of dialogue, flashbacks, & tragic turns. I realize that this is, perhaps, my own issue; and not of the play. I KNOW that this slab of Americana is beloved. But still, I like what I like, and I don't what I don't. So my objective is to explain why I feel this movie is not as good as it is, or could have been.
From a squarely technical standpoint, I find several issues. The direction (by Laszlo Benedek) is okay, but I question some of the choices made. i.e., I didn't realize that Willy Loman is as much of a complete lunatic as he is; at least, that's how he is interpreted, here. The black-&-white cinematography is drab, dismal, & fuzzy. The musical score gets too melodramatic, at points. I could go on. And like I said, this movie simply did not convert me into loving the source material, anyway. Performance-wise, the quality is a different matter. Everyone is good or great. Almost the entire cast from the Broadway play is present, here. All except Kevin McCarthy, who was sent over from the London cast, as well as proven box office star, Fredric March (the studio balked on Broadway lead, Lee J. Cobb).
Fredric March brings great dignity to the role of Willy Loman. You really feel for him; even as the actor descends into overly-directed, over-the-top madness near the end. As mentioned, Mildred Dunnock is wonderful. And both Kevin McCarthy & Cameron Mitchell impress as his 2 sons. At the time of this film's release, it wound up being a bit of a box office failure; partly due to its difficult subject matter, but I would also argue because of its hit-&-miss quality AS A MOVIE. Just because a piece of art is popular/well-executed on stage does not always mean that it will translate to the film medium with the same success.
And most of all, he sees himself as a failure for his 2 impressionable sons; in particular, his eldest boy, Biff (Kevin McCarthy, excellent). Despite some strong support from his patient, loving wife Linda (Mildred Dunnock in, perhaps, her best screen performance), Willy's life completely falls apart along with his threadbare hold on reality. As the tragic narrative barrels towards a macabre ending, Willy Loman increasingly slips btwn. a more rose-colored past & his torturous present ... reliving various incidents in a desperate, scatterbrained search for how, why, & where it all went so wrong.
Through no fault but my own, I just can't seem to latch-on to this story and/or what it has to say about America and The American Dream. I kind of glaze over as the proceedings drudge on. The story is depressing. The script/source material is SO verbose. I almost get lulled into indifference by the onslaught of dialogue, flashbacks, & tragic turns. I realize that this is, perhaps, my own issue; and not of the play. I KNOW that this slab of Americana is beloved. But still, I like what I like, and I don't what I don't. So my objective is to explain why I feel this movie is not as good as it is, or could have been.
From a squarely technical standpoint, I find several issues. The direction (by Laszlo Benedek) is okay, but I question some of the choices made. i.e., I didn't realize that Willy Loman is as much of a complete lunatic as he is; at least, that's how he is interpreted, here. The black-&-white cinematography is drab, dismal, & fuzzy. The musical score gets too melodramatic, at points. I could go on. And like I said, this movie simply did not convert me into loving the source material, anyway. Performance-wise, the quality is a different matter. Everyone is good or great. Almost the entire cast from the Broadway play is present, here. All except Kevin McCarthy, who was sent over from the London cast, as well as proven box office star, Fredric March (the studio balked on Broadway lead, Lee J. Cobb).
Fredric March brings great dignity to the role of Willy Loman. You really feel for him; even as the actor descends into overly-directed, over-the-top madness near the end. As mentioned, Mildred Dunnock is wonderful. And both Kevin McCarthy & Cameron Mitchell impress as his 2 sons. At the time of this film's release, it wound up being a bit of a box office failure; partly due to its difficult subject matter, but I would also argue because of its hit-&-miss quality AS A MOVIE. Just because a piece of art is popular/well-executed on stage does not always mean that it will translate to the film medium with the same success.