Der Tod eines Handlungsreisenden

Fredric March was one of the greatest film actors ever. He played some roles in his career that were meant to be "over the top" in their delivery. Among these were Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Inherit the Wind and The Iceman Cometh. In "Iceman" he was brilliant, but few people have seen this performance. I do not think the character of Willy Loman was meant to be so "over the top" as March portrays him in this film. He is overly loud and manic here IMO, and it does not entirely work. Cobb originated the role on Broadway, and I liked his performance (when it was done for TV) better than this one. But, do see this one if you are a student of the play. Mildred Dunnock is always worth watching.

When Death Of A Salesman was still on Broadway critics acclaimed Arthur Miller's play as an American classic and so it remains. There are so many versions out there that you've got so much to compare. And Lee J. Cobb who created the role of Willy Loman managed to get an acclaimed television version made for future generations to see.

I think that Fredric March's interpretation stands up to any that's out there. For one thing at the age of 54 he's the proper age for the part. March fleshes out the Loman character and plumbs his depth of a man who has seen life pass him by and he's running on fumes. He's not going to rise to management in his profession simply on his likability. And for Willy Loman that's the most important thing in the world.

His family which includes wife Mildred Dunnock and sons Kevin McCarthy and Cameron Mitchell stand by him. But McCarthy who since being a high school football hero has led a drifting aimless life is curiously alienated from his father. The source of that alienation is what you see Death Of A Salesman for.

Arthur Miller's work which is a classic about showing middle age with a purposeless existence has so many interpretations. Everyone has there own interpretation of Willy Loman so here's mine. When we're young we all start out with ambitions and dreams. Choices we make at that time determine our fates whether realize it or not. Most of us adjust and try to make a comfortable existence. It's usually our leisure time activities that identify us as individuals. Hobbies, causes, even sports fandom if that's your thing make life bearable. Willy didn't need to be liked, the poor guy needed a hobby.

Fredric March got an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, but lost to Humphrey Bogart for The African Queen. Mildred Dunnock and Kevin McCarthy were nominated in the supporting actress and actor categories. The film also received nominations for Best black&white cinematography and best musical scoring. It did not come home a winner as this was the year for A Streetcar Named Desire. Ironically March as Willy was up against the Broadway Biff Loman who was Arthur Kennedy and was nominated for Bright Victory.

I urge everyone to see all versions of Death Of Salesman as possible. I guarantee you will see as many Willys as there are actors to play him. This is as good as any.

In his autobiography, "Timebends," playwright Arthur Miller says he was pleased with this version of "Salesman" and felt that Fredric March was effective as Willy. I would love to make that determination for myself. I have always been a big fan of March, and the rest of the cast all seem ideal choices for their roles. I don't believe it is in TCM's library. I think it deserves a DVD release, as does the 1966 (German?) version of "The Crucible."

I check on the DVD availability of this version of "Salesman" every now and then, as well as the 1949 version of "The Great Gatsby" with Alan Ladd, along with some other films that are (surprisingly) not on DVD, such as "Last Year At Marienbad" and "Sundays and Cybele." Good things come to those who wait.

Indeed, even if you have to wait seven years. The Fredric March version of "Salesman" made its way to YouTube in October, 2014. The print is not very good, but the movie is fine. March is wonderful, even if he does start out the movie at something of a fevered pitch rather than working up to it, as another reviewer says. The two sons, Biff and Happy, are such ne'er do wells and so dishonest that they are thoroughly unsympathetic. Kevin McCarthy and Cameron Mitchell play them to perfection. Mildred Dunnock's Linda may be the best performance in the movie. She mediates, observes, cajoles, admonishes, plays on sympathies, comforts and encourages. It's amazing how many dimensions there really are to this character, and Dunnock finds and plays them all beautifully. "Death of a Salesman" is so stagebound that it's hard to find ways to open it up for the screen, so why bother? The story and performers draw audiences in to "Salesman," and because the subject matter is so unremittingly bleak and despairing, the acting has to be of a very high caliber to sustain interest. This is a feat the 1951 movie version pulls off handsomely.

Arthur Miller justifiably received a lot of acclaim for his Broadway stage version of DEATH OF A SALESMAN and this film version starring FREDRIC MARCH as Willie Loman is a faithful transfer of that work.

March is outstanding in his portrayal of a bitterly confused man who can't fathom why his life went so wrong, and CAMERON MITCHELL and KEVIN McCARTHY do outstanding work as the sons who are disillusioned by their father's failure. But the most memorable performance, in my estimation, comes from MILDRED DUNNOCK, who would go on to play similarly bitter women in her future roles on screen. But here she is poignant in what has to be one of the best character roles she ever had.

Surprisingly, the film is little seen today, seldom revived and largely forgotten. BRIAN DENNEHY did have success in a recent Broadway version and DUSTIN Hoffman has performed the role on TV. But the Fredric March version deserves to be seen, however heavy-handed the material is.

It's an exhausting experience, a story of one man's failure in life's journey, but dramatically very effective and it still has a lot to say.

This all but lost 1951 version of Arthur Miller's American masterpiece was nominated for several prestigious Academy Awards in 1952, including Best Picture. That it has never been officially released on video is a shame, for, quite simply, Fredric March's go around as Willy Loman is a absolute treasure. The supporting cast are uniformly excellent; the mood and tone are consistently melancholy; the sets are spare, even stagy; and, most important, the pace is as brisk as this play will allow. Please search out this one out on TV-- you will not be disappointed.