Currency Conversion Movie Reviews

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.

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 suggests that Biff is 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, the music - especially Willy's idyllic "flute" theme -is very helpful in conveying mood.

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.

Artsy film with only few memorable one-liners. Difficult to identify with the characters; creates distance between audience and movie.

In spite of its seemingly depressing nature I tremendously enjoyed this movie. I believe it is the issues discussed that were able to touch deep and the quiet, restrained way in which they were portrayed. Another reason would be the beautiful ending that does not say much but leaves you with some hope for human kind...
"Thirteen conversations about one thing" lead to very coherent statements about the human condition. Each viewer, so I believe, will interpret what he saw in a slightly different manner. For me however the message was: reach out for other human beings - they are as lonely as you are; kindness, optimism and "looking at the bright side of things" have a power in spite of all and a kind word or gesture have an affect on other people - cynical as they may be; and most important: happiness is sometimes a vague term and is always better perceived at a later stage....
The movie starts with a scene whose significance will be understood at a much later stage. John Turturro, playing a physics college professor is having dinner with his wife (Amy Irving) and discusses an act of violence that he suffered, trying to analyze the horror of it all and find significance and meaning in what occured. The act itself and its impact on the professor are not clear to the viewers at this stage but will become clear later on. This is the first hint to what will be one of the movie's major themes - one event is able to shake a person down and cause a change. An irreversible change.
The movie brings us five human episodes that are entangled to one strong story. Matthew McConaughey is a young, confident attorney whose life changes on account of a car accident he causes; Clea Duval an optimistic kind young woman working as a cleaning lady who looses her faith in human kind on account of same accident. John Turturro is a college professor in search of happiness - in search of the "something" more that life has to offer. In pursuit of such happiness he leaves his wife, who is left to deal with same questions and issues, especially with the loneliness of one person in the big city. However, the most impressive acting belongs to Alan Arkin who portrays a lonely, cynical manager who has a very optimistic, good-natured employee. The employee's ability to see good in every thing hits an exposed nerve which the manager can no longer tolerate. Alan Arkin manages to deliver a round figured person including his many sides and faces, thoughts and regrets, thus forming a very realistic humane figure. Arkin is a bitter father, a manager, an ex-husband and above all a person who down beneath is kind and good, after all the masks are stripped down. Clea Duval is another great asset to this movie, able to touch us with her tender quiet portrayal of a girl who undergoes an inner turmoil.
The film is rich with metaphors and symbols that are not always evident on first viewing. One example would be the professor, Turturro writing the word "Irreversible" on the class blackboard while discussing the notion of anthrophy and giving us a hint to life realities as will become evident to him later on. Once you made your choice, consequences are irreversible, as Turturro will soon understand. Another example would be Clea Duval' s doll who always had one closed eye and suddenly appears with her two eyes open after her owner's inner change, as if to symbolize the new look on life she has. These are just two examples of what makes this movie rich and holding several layers of understanding.

This movie is great...it makes you think. Get it now b/c it's not in many stores.