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Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman is a 1985 American television film, adapted from a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. Volker Schlondorff directs the film. Volker is a German filmmaker who has operated in France, Germany, and the United States. He is a notable feature of the New German Cinema of the late 1960s and early 1970s. This paper summarizes the plots in Death of a Salesman and explains the dramatic conflicts in the film and how they are resolved. Furthermore, the paper identifies and explains some of the filmmaking techniques used by Volker Schlondorff in the film and elaborate on how he uses these techniques to enhance the film.

Plot Summary

Death of a Salesman is a film based on the life of Willy Lowman, a career salesman. The films start with Willy returning home wearied following a discontinued business tour. Troubled over Willy’s position of mind and current car clash, Willy’s wife, insinuates that he proposes to his boss, Howard Wagner, to permit him to operate in his residence town, so he does not frequently travel (Fuad, 2017). Willy grieves to his wife Linda about their boy Biff, who is visiting, is yet to be successful. Regardless of Biff’s profession as an athlete in high school, he failed senior year math and did not join college. Willy is inclined to constant flashbacks in which he perceives incidents and characters from his past, including his long-deceased elder sibling Ben, who was Willy’s hero. Incompetent to differentiate between his reminiscences and existing certainty, he converses with the characters in his memories as if they were existing, shocking people around him. Biff and Happy, his brother, who was also visiting, started to consider their dad’s mental depravity while remembering their youth together (Fuad, 2017). Willy steps in, furious that the two sons have never succeeded in anything. Biff and Happy inform him that Biff plans to make a business proposal the following day, attempting to alleviate their dad.

The following day, Willy returns to ask Howard for a position in his hometown while Biff heads to make the business proposal. However, neither is victorious. Willy becomes frustrated and angry and gets fired when his boss informs him that he requires rest and can longer serve the organization. On the other side, Biff waits for an extended period to see a previous boss who does not recognize him and declines his proposal. Willy, Happy and Biff later meet at an eatery for dinner, but Willy declines to listen to the inadequate response from Biff (Fuad, 2017). Happy attempt to deceive Willy as Biff attempts to explain to him what transpired. Willy becomes irritated and shifts into a memory of what occurred in Boston the day Biff visited him. Lowman had been in a resort on a business trip with a young lady, Miss Francis, when Biff suddenly appeared and noticed that his father was unfaithful to their mother, Linda. Since that incident, Biffs’ perspective of Willy and his entire dad’s treasured goals and fantasies for him altered significantly, leaving Biff uncertain (Fuad, 2017). While at the restaurant, Billy gets angry and leaves along with Happy and two ladies. However, Biff later reconciles with his father. Still, Willy ends up committing suicide by deliberately smashing his vehicle so that Biff can use the life coverage money to begin his enterprise.

Dramatic Conflicts

The central dramatic conflict in Death of a Salesman involves Willy Lowman’s confusion and frustration. These reactions are created by his incapability to confront the certainties of present-day civilisation. According to the film, Willy’s most prominent delusion is that success depends on popularity and possessing personal attractiveness. Another dramatic conflict is present by Biff. According to the film, Biff prefers being working on a cattle farm, but Willy desires him behind a corporate desk (Fuad, 2017). Through the fantasies that Willy perceives, he cannot recognise that Biff is a nobody and not compelled to be prosperous, as illustrated by Willy. This conflict is another central theme in the film. The conflicts are partly resolved given that Willy and Biff reconciled with his father (Fuad, 2017).  However, Biff sticks to his idea of being out with the cattle and not working behind a corporate desk even after Willy committing suicide for Billy to start his business with the life insurance money.

Filming Techniques Used in the Film

Different techniques are used in filming. These include camera shots, movements, lighting, and film effects. Volker Schlondorff used extreme close-up, close-up, mid-shot, and long shots to achieve meaning and different shots. In the film Dead of a Salesman, the director uses Close-up shots to show the characters facial expression and details of an object. This can be seen in the first scene of the film, where Willy is driving home. The director uses the close-up shot to focus on the viewer’s attention on important details. This approach is significant since it allows viewers to understand emotions or the characters’ thoughts and feelings. Volker Schlondorff also uses the mid-shot as his style. The mid-shot shows an individual or people all the upper body view. The director uses these techniques when the characters are engaged in a conversation to see the characters’ faces clearly and their interaction with others.

Another filming technique that the director uses in Death of a Salesman is the long-shot technique. The director uses this technique in scenes where the characters are seen walking or standing in a significant area. Volker Schlondorff has used these techniques in scenes where Willy and his sons are meeting when Willy is entering his home, among other scenes. The director uses this technique to show the characters in full and the scenery around them and provides the viewer with information about the setting. In the film Dead of a Salesman, the director has combined different filming techniques. For instance, at the beginning of the film, where Willy is seen driving his car, the director uses a close-up shot and an eye-level shot.

An eye-level shot signifies that the camera is placed at the same position as the character’s level. This technique provides the viewer with a realistic view of the character. The director has also used the montage technique to show the passage of time or various simultaneous incidents. This technique is often used to present the audience with a lot of information at once. It is also described as the cross-cut technique, known as parallel editing, an approach that cuts between the action occurring in two simultaneous events as they progress. In the film, the director has used this technique in scenes were Willy is going to his boss, and Biff is going to make a business proposition. The director uses this technique to show how the two events are happening.