Death of a Salesman (PG, 1986)

Willy Loman (Dustin Hoffman) is getting old and he's no longer able to keep up his New England sales route. But with the return of prodigal son Biff (John Malkovich), Loman's beloved boys are together again. As Biff struggles to work out his tangled relationship with his dad, Willy relives crucial moments from that past that reveal his formative influences, the great aspirations he has for himself and his sons, and his many personal failures. Things take a turn for the worse when Biff fails at a business interview and Willie is fired from his job. In one flashback, Biff is crushed when he discovers his father's philandering. Eventually, he confronts his father over the lies the family has lived with through the years.

 

Dustin Hoffman leads an accomplished cast in this faithful rendering of Arthur Miller's play about a mediocre man whose life is unraveling around him. Shot on studio sets, the production looks stark and some may find it hard to follow, but the fine performances make it captivating. Hoffman gives a quiet but mesmerizing performance, never succumbing to the easy choice of making Willy just angry or confused. Instead, he works hard to restore dignity to the character. Hoffman's scenes with the equally brilliant John Malkovich are the strongest feature of the movie.

 

Teens and adults will become lost in this American tragedy. However, Loman is a remnant of another age, and it may take some effort for kids to identify with him. Still, this is a remarkably faithful adaptation of the 1984 Broadway version, and teens who have any interest in theater -- or need to read the play for school -- will greatly enjoy it.

Studio: Bioskop Film
Director: Volker Schlondorff
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, John Malkovich, Kate Reid
Genre: Drama
Run time: 150 minutes
Theatrical release: January 1, 1986
DVD release: February 17, 1998
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: thematic intensity