Death of a Salesman

Just got this from Broadway Theatre Archive. I would recommend this to anyone remotely interested in this play and the history of American theater. While not the "film" the Dustin Hoffman version is, I found it more moving. It preserves two great performances, the original ones on Broadway. Lee J. Cobb is amazing. More than any other performance of this I've seen, he successfully shows Willy's horrifying diminishment in mental capacity while losing none of his character's or the play's emotional power. Mildred Dunnock is softer toward Willy than her successors but shows the steel within her when she deals with her sons. All in all a heartbreaking performance.

George Segal is good as Biff, but unlike the more evenly balanced Dustin Hoffman-John Malkovich version, is somewhat dwarfed by Lee J. Cobb's Willy. James Farentino, who made a superb Biff on Broadway with George C. Scott, makes a superb Hap.

Seeing Lee J. Cobb as Willy Loman in this David Susskind produced version is as close as possible to seeing the original play on Broadway, and a far sight better than just about any live production one could find nowadays.

Mr. Cobb's performance is so absorbing, so powerful and so disturbing, that we, (the audience) feel genuinely dazed at its conclusion. It's as though, by the time of the final scene, that we too, are attending Willy's funeral, and all stumble away drained and awed.

The supporting cast are each and all superb, with Mildred Dunnock probably topping anything else in which she has appeared. Set design is also inventive in its combination of abstract and realistic interiors and exteriors.

As to the character of Willy, it is to Mr. Cobb's credit, that for all of his past moral compromises and shabby aspirations, the most honest of us, will admit that we recognize something of ourselves in him.

Theater and television at its best! Thank you Mr. Susskind. (Also interesting to note Karen Steele relegated to a bit role while still such a young woman--what a step down from "Marty.")

This is my favorite adaption of the play, "Death of a Salesman". The play itself is timeless and could be portrayed in a modern setting (with some updating). Willie Loman and his family will always exist as long as people in all walks or professions are perceived as being past their prime and a liability rather than an asset to society. It is a tragic episode in the life of a family that outgrow dreams and ambitions and must accept reality and human imperfection.

I have had arguments over the fact that I believed Gene Wilder played Bernard in this play before he became prominent in a movie career. This cast is unique with such excellent actors as Mildred Dunnock, Lee J. Cobb, George Segal, James Farrentino, Bernie Koppell and the remaining members of the cast.

This was my first meeting with the play. After finishing it, I felt satisfied, but also far from finished with the play itself. I immediately wanted to see other versions of this, both to compare with this, and to enjoy the great writing. As this is an abridged (by the author himself) version, I'm obviously curious as to what more there is to it. I never felt anything missing.

Lee J. Cobb was made for a role like this. The vulnerable, temperamental and old fashioned man that's grasping for happiness. I can imagine how intimate it must have been to see him act this on stage, and I'm happy that at least we have this TV version of his performance.

The touches done to make this a TV movie instead of a filmed play, did not really add much to the movie. The locations still felt like sets and the performances were good, but theatrical. The transitions, dialogue happening over each other, etc, that is only possible in an edited medium like this, did not add much to the story.

When "All My Sons" became too hard to take and critics began to call it a mere timepiece, Arthur Miller wrote another. Instead of life from the well-to-do point of view, he would wander to the other side of the street and look back. "Death of a Salesman" is life from the working man's front porch. And what a telling it is!

Finally, Lee J. Cobb and Mildred Dunnock have one more opportunity together, this time recorded for the ages. And the rest of the cast, superb.

Dear television gods, please bring it back at least one more time. This is a piece that needs to be seen by each generation: a constant reminder of how great the temptation always is to live in greed at the expense of the common man. Thank you again, Mr. Miller, for your wisdom and haunting words.