Post a comment about the directorial choices in the film and how they compare to the text. How did the director choose to portray Miller's vision? Does anything in the film differ from what you envisioned as you read? Continue to post your own UNIQUE questions and thoughts below. Have a great break!
I found it interesting that the director had Willy fixing the house while Linda was giving the "ATTENTION MUST BE PAID" speech to Biff and Happy. This choice was not only ironic, but also comical in a sense. When I imagined the scene, I didin't really picture Willy being anywhere in sight. I, myself, paid no mind/attention to Willy at the time that I was reading that scene, which is why I found it comical and ironic because the director made the decision to actually make the audience pay attention to Willy when he kept switching to him while he was fixing the house.
ReplyDeleteAnother specific directorial choice I had noticed in this film was that Willy was fixing the house while Linda was speaking with Biff and Happy about abandoning the family and what not. I found nothing to be wrong with the house. The paint was chipping but maybe that was because he was chipping it. The film version helped me to realize that Willy just has this urge to fix things that aren't broken. In this scene, the house represented Biff. Willy is constantly complaining about Biff not having a real job and working on the farm instead of being close to home, and he constantly wants to change Biff so he could meet his criteria of successfulness, but that is unnecessary. Biff is evident happy with the job he already has: "there's nothing more inspiring or-beautiful than the sight of a mare and a new colt"(Miller 11), but it is also evident that Willy is forcing Biff to want these things he doesn't really care about: "to devote your whole life to keeping stock, or making phone calls...to suffer fifty weeks for the sake of a two week vacation when all you really desire is to be outdoors, with your shirt off...and everytime I come back here I know that all I've done is to waste my life" (Miller 11). From Biff's dialogue, it is obvious that all he wants to do is please his father, but at the same time he wants to do what would please him. He couldn't care less about the material things, as long as he could go work on the farm where he feels free. The pressure that Willy is putting on Biff to get a "real" job is what is actually keeping Biff away. If Willy didn't feel the urge to fix things that aren't broken, things being Biff, then maybe Biff and Happy would be more content in life and love their father more. Without the stress of having to fix everything like the house, the ceiling (when Uncle Ben came to visit he said he had put in a new ceiling), his children, his family, himself, etc. he wouldn't be so depressed. The need to fix everyone and everything and not being satisfied with the way things are now, will kill Willy in the end.
It had came to my surprise that the director portrayed the relationship of Linda and William Loman as a rocky marriage rather than in the book, Linda is constantly defending Willy against their sons, Happy and Biff Loman when they are talking about the way/ or how weird Willy has been acting towards everyone and towards different situations lately. In the text, Linda is basically telling her sons that they basically have to give their father a break and stop criticizing him when it comes to the way that he run certain things or how he acts towards certain situations. Miller writes, "I don't say he's a great man. Willy Loman never made a lot of money...But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He's not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention must be finally paid to such a person" (Wright 40). Though this quote basically shows how Linda has a good relationship with her husband to the point that she could defend him against her own and only children, their relationship within the film that the director depicts is very much different. Within the film, I believe that the director depicts Linda and Willy's relationship as something bad rather than good like the text seems to portray. In the film, while Happy, Biff, and Willy was talking to one another about the future Biff and Happy wants to plan together. How they want to get involved with sport entertainment and make a lot of money off of it, when Linda had commented on what they was talking about at the dinner table, Willy had took it upon himself to raise his voice at her more than two times and though he was redirected by Biff to stop yelling at Linda, he continued to yell at her when she had put her input into the conversation to the point he had fiercely got up out of his chair and raised his hand up at Linda as if he was to hit her in the face. Soon to be grabbed angrily by Biff. And after Willy went up stairs to his bedroom, Linda defended Willy's actions verifying to Biff that everything was okay. Another scene where the director depicts Linda and Willy's relationship as not o good relationship is when they were going to bed and Happy and Biff to give their goodnight. And when the three man was talking to one another in the bedroom, as once again Linda tried to comment on the conversation that they were having, multiple times in the row, Willy had swung back towards her and hit her several times in the back, chest, and arms. Then he tried to comfort her by saying "Let me finish talking" in a apologetic manner because of the fact that Biff too, was in the room and he knows that he do not like it when Willy verbally and physically abuse Linda in any way, shape, or form.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Do you believe that the fight that was mentioned within the book/ and or film between Biff and Willy was over the fact that Willy was being abusive towards Linda?
In the movie it actually amazed me how troubled Willy actually was because reading it in the book and actually seeing it was definitely a different feel. My feelings for Willy has changed because of this. When reading about Willy I felt a sense of sorrow for him because of all his issues of him being unemployed , talking to himself and his family falling apart, but in the movie Willy was very rude and disrespectful towards Linda , the only one who's really been beside him through it all. He was telling her to be quiet every time she talked, getting all in her face , yelling at her and even going as far as hitting her. Willy was taking his frustrations out on the wrong person in the movie. In the novel the same scene was depicted where Linda was "telling off" Biff and Happy for not understanding their fathers pain or being considerate of how much he sacrifices for the family. They're in the kitchen and Biff says he get a job , but he makes it clear he's only there for her. Linda admits to the boys how Willy is trying to kill himself with toxic fumes/gases and they all try to come to an agreement to help him. In the text it states, " Linda: Maybe things are beginning to-Willy [wildly to Linda] : Stop interrupting! .."(47). In the book it says that Willy gets wild , but it never says he lays a hand on her , which he does in the movie , I guess the director wants to show us how frustrated Willy is with her and why. Question : Do you think Willy's hitting and beating on Linda shows something deeper than just his stressful life ?
ReplyDeleteIn the movie I was surprised at the way Willy treated Linda. I was actually sympathetic for Willy because he was working for commission and recently got fired. But when we viewed the movie I noticed how he got irate quickly towards Linda. For example in the movie when Willy, Biff, and Happy about being in business, and Linda cut in. Willy rose and yelled towards Linda. Biff was quick to check him.
ReplyDeleteRODERICK CHAVIS:
ReplyDeletePost(Film) I believe the director used great emphsis on parts we clearly could not see in the play. This was an example of how the director made the mood of this scene more clear. I do have a question though. Why is Willy viewed more helpless in the movie than the novel when it's the same exact thing other than adlib by the director?
I think the way the film depicted Willy's aggressiveness towards Linda created more of a serious atmosphere- more of a mysterious one. The text never states how Willy angrily snaps and slaps on Linda. In the film, that showed that there was possibly more things going on behind closed doors between Linda and Willy because of the way Linda nervously accepted the quick snaps and slaps thrown at her. The text never gives off that impression.
ReplyDeletein the film willy seems to have an aggressive relationnship with linda. he yells at her continously for interrupting. while taking with the boys he doesnt allow her to put in her two cents into the conversation. at one point he even hits her. the movie gives the impression that linda and willy have an abusive , aggressive relationship. there are obviosly problems in their relatioship. in the book i remember biff having to tell his father, willy, to not yell at his mother . the director in the movie too makes biff stop his father from yelling at linda. the book kind of hides the type of relationship they have while the movie put it out there. my question is how exactly does the relationship between linda and willy effect them both ?
ReplyDeleteAn-Nisa Jones
The moment when Biff grabbed Willy's arm and the huge silence that followed was something that I thought differently about when I read it. It didn't have as much significance when I read the scene. The director chose to portray Miller's vision by inputting different things. There was an awkward silence, the background music was slow and sorrow when there were moments when Miller wanted the reader to feel sympathy for the character and there were emphasis on certain parts that the reader would need to reference in the future of the book.
ReplyDeleteIn the book it protrayed Willy and Linda relationship better than what it actually was. In the film there was a complete opposite of how it was stated in the book . In the film everytime Linda tried to put her two sense into something Willy would hit her. In the text it never stated " willy hits linda when she tries to speak" so that right there prove that there relationship was not all that great. Sometimes willy would just go off on linda like he's crazy. He will just raise his voice at her everytime she tries to speak. In the book linda is defending him to the boys. But Willy is basically dogging her and the boys tell him to stop yelling at her like that and also grabbed him when he raised his hand trying to hit her. The film is way different from the text i didnt expect for willy to act like that towards linda because in the text it doesnt really seem like he is trating her that wrong
ReplyDeleteThe director chose to portray Miller’s vision by exaggerating the situation. In the novel Willy stated, “Don’t interrupt . . . Stop interrupting! . . . Will you stop! . . . Will you let me talk? . . . I was talking wasn’t I?” (48). My mental image of this scene was of Willy simply yelling at Linda but the film shows it in a different point of view. In the film Willy’s actions seem more extreme, because as he tells her to let him talk he pulls Linda’s arm and in the stage directions Miller does not state this. Willy seems more aggressive in the film compared to the way I envisioned the novel. The director does not necessarily seem to change the play but just the way the audience sees it. He takes the play in a more literal way. The director acknowledges that if someone were to be yelling the way Willy was yelling they would have those types of reactions. Overall the novel can be interpreted many ways depending on each student while the play is direct and more limited. I think that the way I interpreted the novel was different than what others may have imagined it to be like or how the director saw the play.
ReplyDeleteWilly shows aggressive actions towards Linda in the film. While in the book his aggressiveness isn't as clearly displayed when they both are in disagreements. In the film Willy grabs Linda arms harmfully. As he pull her arm he squeezes it and from her face expression you can tell that it hurts her. Also the director uses music to portray the scene. The book can not use music to portray the emotions of the characters. While in the book Willy just uses words rather then his hands to put Linda in her place. Willy states, ‘‘stop interrupting wildly enthused to linda‘‘ (47). This did not say he land a hand on Linda. It merely says he began to become angry. The director probably wanted the movie to grasp the attention of those who watches it. Adding aggressive scenes rather then words makes it more interesting. What was the impact of Willy‘s aggressiveness towards Linda ?
ReplyDeleteI think that there are a lot of comparisons and differences that can be made when analyzing both the film of "Death of a Salesman" and the book. For example when I was reading the book I visualized Happy and Biff as much younger than they appear to be in the film. Also sometimes the way the characters say their dialogue might be different than how they actually say the dialogue in the film. There is a scene in the book where Linda tells Biff and Happy about how show knows the weaknesses and strengths of Willy, and how she thinks its time for him to be respected. In the book it states, "I don't say he's a great man. Willy Loman never made a lot of money...But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He's not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention must be finally paid to such a person"(44). In the book this scene might have just been a conversation that Linda and her sons have, but in the film it was a more powerful scene that was deep and emotional.
ReplyDeleteWhat was similar and different about the book compared to the movie?
ReplyDeleteWhat was similar about the book and the movie was the setting the director of the movie never changed anything he just added new ideas towards the movie. The main characters Linda, Willy, Happy and Biff were their. Anyway what was different about the scene was that on pg. 50 it says " And if anything falls off the desk while you're talking to him like a package or something don't you pick it up. They have office boys for that. Linda: I'll make a big breakfast... Willy: Will you let me finish?, In the movie during this scene Willy hits Linda's leg, since she interrupted him. Since I read the scene I though that he just yelled at her in the movie but that wasn't the outcome.