AMERICAN MASTERS: PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS: ON THE SET OF "DEATH OF A SALESMAN" (TV)
Summary
One in this documentary series that explores the lives and achievements of America's most celebrated native-born and adopted artists and performers. The format of this edition is a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the 1985 televised version of Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" starring Dustin Hoffman. Host Joanne Woodward gives a brief history of this Pulitzer-Prize-winning play. She stresses the collaboration in this production between Miller and Hoffman, who the author believes is closest to his original idea of the main character of Willy Loman. Hoffman speaks about using as inspiration the similarities between his own father and the character he plays, as well as the corresponding family relationships. The director for this production, Volker Schlondorff, talks about the quasi-realistic set, which allows the language to be the focus of this taping; about his desire for everything but the actors' emotions to be "fake"; and about the grueling schedule Hoffman sets for himself. After a short rehearsal, Schlondorff consults with Miller about Hoffman's interpretation of the role of Willy, and the scene in which Willy is fired from his job is shown before and after alterations are made. Miller then explains how unusual it was for an older man to lose his job when the play was written in 1949, and the playwright discusses with Schlondorff the importance of incorporating pauses into the actors' dialogue. After director-of-photography Michael Ballhaus confers with Miller about achieving a theatrical effect on film, and Miller explains his vision of a mixture of fantasy and super-reality, Tony Randall and Warren Beatty visit the set. Disappointed in a bar scene between Happy and a woman, Hoffman critiques the actors' motivations, and the performers experiment with various techniques in order to achieve a stronger effect. Next, Miller discusses the economic climate during the time at which the play first appeared and Willy's symbolism as the end of an era, and Hoffman focuses on the tension and confusion caused by the economics and scheduling of the project; he also touches on his recommendation of Schlondorff to direct the work. Hoffman, John Malkovich, and Stephen Lang rehearse a scene between father and sons, and Hoffman muses on his particular connection to this play. After Hoffman joins Miller and Schlondorff in a discussion of the work's combination of horror, comedy, and mental illness, he finds it difficult to immerse himself in a scene in which Biff finds Willy cheating on Linda. Another scene, in which Biff and Willy argue over values, causes problems for Malkovich, and various approaches are tried. The program ends with the filming of the climactic scene, in which Willy Loman walks offstage alone. Includes promos. Cataloging of this program was made possible by Rosalind P. Walter, 1999.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS WNET New York, NY
- DATE: June 23, 1986 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:27:48
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:57504
- GENRE: Arts documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Theater; Dramatists; She Made It Collection (Susan Lacy); United States - Economic conditions - 1945-
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1986-
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Promos - "American Masters"
CREDITS
- For "American Masters" series:
- Susan Lacy … Executive Producer
- Harlene Freezer … Coordinating Producer
- Joan Kramer … Producer
- Karen Bernstein … Associate Producer
- Cynthia Mitchell … Production (Misc.), Production Manager
- Jac Venza … Executive Director
- David Heeley … Director (Host Segment)
- Jonathan Tunick … Series Theme Music by
- For "Private Conversations: On the Set of 'Death of a Salesman'":
- Christian Blackwood … Producer, Director
- Lisa Tesone … Production (Misc.), Production Supervisor
- John L. Miller … Writer
- Alex North … Music by
- Joanne Woodward … Host
- Dustin Hoffman … Cast, Willy Loman
- Kate Reid … Cast, Linda Loman
- John Malkovich … Cast, Biff
- Stephen Lang … Cast, Happy
- Charles Durning … Cast, Charley
- Louis Zorich … Cast, Ben
- David S. Chandler … Cast, Bernard
- Jon Polito … Cast, Howard
- Kathy Rossetter … Cast, the Woman from Boston
- Tom Signorelli … Cast, Stanley
- Linda Kozlowski … Cast, Miss Forsythe
- Karen Needle … Cast, Letta
- Anne McIntosh … Cast, Jenny
- Michael Quinlan … Cast, Walter
- Michael Ballhaus
- Warren Beatty
- Arthur Miller
- Tony Randall
- Volker Schlondorff