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DEATH OF A SALESMAN
December 20, 2016  | By David Bianculli

TCM, 11:30 p.m. ET

 

This 1985 CBS version of the Broadway stage revival of Arthur Miller’s classic drama is astoundingly good from start to finish. When I saw it on Broadway, it made me cry – and not just silent little weepy tears, either, but convulsive sobs. A lot of that was due to the dynamism and realism of the acting, and those same actors are on display here, being just as vital and visceral. Dustin Hoffman stars as Willy Loman, that delusional traveling salesman who both lives in and is betrayed by the past, and John Malkovich and Stephen Lang offer strong support as his sons Biff and Happy. Kate Reid, as Willy’s long-suffering wife, is the shuddering soul of this drama, which works powerfully in this TV version as well. Long ago, I had dreams and schemes of helping to keep the spirit of Death of a Salesman alive by starting a website in which people could write in and tell their personal tales of being discarded or disregarded by the companies for which they worked. But my proposed website name was too long: Amanisnotapieceoffruit.com…

 
 
 
 
 
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