Evening star. [volume], March 06, 1952, Page B-18, Image 55

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
B-18
THE EVENING STAR, Washington, D. C.
THURSDAY, MARCH S, IBS*
The Passing Show
Film 'Death of a Salesman'
Catches Haunting Drama
. By Jay Cormody
Arthur Miller’s "Death of a Salesman” has been translated
Into a distinguished motion picture by Producer Stanley Kramer
and a cast headed by Fredric March.
That It retains so much of the impact of the original priae
winning play is a tribute to the talent and taste of those involved
in the cinema conversion, which
opened yesterday at the Ontario.
That it falls to achieve the same
searing force is less their fault
than that of a difference in the
two mediums. On the stage, where
it ran for three memorable years,
an eerie, nightmare quality was
attained by one of those miracles
of lighting and set design that
happens once in a decade. The
brighter lighting and sharper out
lines demanded by the camera
diminish this mad dreamlike
effect in the film.
The fact remains, however, that
Miller’s story of Willy Loman is
a film that will haunt the heart
and mind long after most others
have been forgotten. It is that
rare piece of dramatic writing
which can withstand some loss
of flavor with no fatal effect
upon its merit.
** * *
Kramer, the genius producer
among Hollywood’s independents,
has treated “Death of a Sales
man” with a praiseworthy respect.
He has tampered not at all
with Miller’s portrait of a man who
made a mess of life by dreaming
It away instead of living it with
a few touches of honest realism.
Willy liked the fancies better
than the facts of life. He pre
ferred to tell himself small artful
lies that he was a solid man than
to face the truth that life was
real and earnest and he, himself,
was not.
The lies have caught up with
him when “Death of a Salesman”
begins.
His mind and body are both
failing, the former the faster. He
cannot even drive to “the New
England territory” he has covered
for years. His sales have dimin
ished. His firm has lost faith
in him and the two sons for whom
he dreamed far more loftily
than for himself are worthless.
Only his wif? has love, sympathy
and understanding for Willy. A
desperate loneliness holds open
the door for Willy’s inescapable
doom.
March has been nominated for
an Ackdemy award for his por
trait of Willy Loman. There can
be no quarreling with the sound
ness of his choice, nor with the
excellence with which others of
the cast were chosen, especially
Mildred Dunnock of the original
company as the wife and Keven
McCarthy as the son Biff.
** * *
Willy’s long days of dying* in
the film directed by Laslo Bene
dek follow the play’s letter, if
not always so forcefully its spirit.
The man March plays is more
than half-mad. Time is a jumble
in his mind. One moment he is
living in the agonized present,
aware of his condition, the next
he is back in one of the dreams
that has led to his undoing.
The most dramatic aiyl haunt
ing of these dreams is that cen
tering in his son Biff. Biff was
Willy’s idol, the boy destined to
git on top of the world, but Biff
is a bum. Something happened
to Biff. Spiritually, he died young
and it is obvious that Willy had
most to do with it. Against their
wills, in violent scene after scene,
their curdled affection rises to
haunt them.
This, however, is only the great
est of Willy’s lost battles. His
other boy Happy is indifferent
to him. His brother-in-law next
door maintains a kind of stoic
compassion, the brother who keeps
reappearing in Willy’s mad rev
eries is disdainful of him. His
boss, ion of his lifetime employer,
Is ready to fire Salesman Loman
whenever the chance offers.
March-injects a cosmic sadness
Into the picture of Miller’s de
AMUSEMENTS.
Srd SELLOUT WEEK!
Tkm Broadway Laagh Bit!
THREE
ML MEN
ON A
HORSE
“Bliartea* . . Arena hit* a *»r* win*
aar." — Carmoiy, Star.
"Arana lUn ha* alchcA a winner
—Behitr. T.-B.
"Th* Arana nraAaetlan can ha a*«a
rately Aescribed a* hlUrtaa*. an! If It’Jj
'atomUTnUrssm^ss^*.
ARENA STAGE
•th and B.T. a**- M
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4th and Final Week! |
BMHKia*MNNUEE
ummm*mu»e*u«»»ot caosar«THt owawoi
14th at H Open 10:46 AJI
World Premier* "The Sniper"
Next Tuesday Evening I
Retreat hell f
‘Retreat Heß! We’re tust attacking a
another *rection r
■Mti. 6*a 0 P Smith, fast kUru* On.. Km*
FRANK RICHARD RUSTY AMTA
IMJOr*CARLSON*TAMBLnt*IDUSE
raocuaonr MtUOR SNAIWS
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This Ties., Mm. 11—8:30 pa.
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BATES CONCEBT TBOBBAO
1108 G N.W. (I* Campbell Marie Ca.)
NAT7ISI SSelnwar Wan*
“DEATH Or A SALESMAN,* Columbia
picture, produced by Stanley Kramer, di
rected by Laslo Benedefc. screenplay by
Stanley Roberts, based on play by Artbui
MUler. At the Ontario.
The Cast.
Willy Loman Frederic March
Linda Loman Mildred Dunnock
Biff Kevin McCarthy
Happy Cameron Mitchell
Charley Howard Smith
Ben * .Band Beal
Bernard Don Keefer
Stanley , Jesse White
Miss Francis Claire Carle ton
Howard Wasmtr David Alpert
Miss Forsythe Elisabeth Fraser
Lotto-.—— Patricia Walker
seated hero. Where his perform
ance fails the force It had on
the stage, it is the fault of film
method not of March’s acting.
The camera is simply not as ef
fective in catching Willy’s light
ning shifts from sanity to com
plete unbalance.
More of a dramatic piece with
the stage portraits is that of Miss
Dunnock as Willy’s wife. It is her
deep, unfailing love and its futile
effort to save Willy that gives
the film the shattering power it
had in the original version.
Like March’s performance and
also that of McCarthy as the
haunted son, this one has been
nominated ever so logically for an
Academy award.
“Death of a Salesman,” Indeed,
is an irresistible invitation to act
ing excellence. As in the stage
play, it reaches again all the way
through the cast and its reward
is one of the most powerful sto
ries the screen has ever inherited
from Broadway.
The story it tells is one not
lightly to be ignored.
Archeology Expedition
To Be Recorded on Film
By th« Associated Prsss
PASADENA, Calif. An Old
Testament scholar and a film
producer left recently on a flying
trip to the Near East to record on
film their archeology expedition.
The travelers. Dr. William San
ford LaSor and William Brusseau
expect to be in Nippur, Iraq, soon
to take part in pre-Abraham dis
coveries being made there. Other
countries to be visited include
Egypt, Jordan, Syria. Lebanon.
Cyprus, Athens and Rome.
Mr. Brusseau expects to use 20,-
000 feet of color film on the lour,
ney. Dr. LaSor, who says he speaks
20 languages, will act as inter
preter and assistant cameraman.
AMUSEMENTS. AMUSEMENTS.
THE GRlAflSf DRAMA OM)UR_PAYI
L *J h, I lii
I 17th and Columbia Rd. N.W. * t
I Firtt Show mt I • Ltut FatUara ml 10 I
WILL WASHINGTON AGREE? i
; ;
I Los Angelos said . . . "SENSATIONAL!" I
I ‘TLICTRirriNGr "DISTINGUISHED!" J
[ FHIUDILFHIA mM .. . "SU»AMI»»
COLUMBIA PICTURES prosonta J
4- —STANLEY KRAMER’S production of-- _
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March.
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ARENA ASSET—EtheI Casey,
whose portrait of Mabel is one
of the brightest merits of the
current hit, "Three Men On a
Horse " And of all other plays
in which she has appeared.
Where and When
Current Theater Attractions
And Time of Showing
Stage.
Arena—“ Three Men on a
Horse”; 8:30 pm. “
Screen.
Ambassador—“ Bugles in the
Afternoon”; 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30
and 9:35 pm.
Capitol—“ Red Skies of Mon
tana”; 11:00 a.m., 1:45, 4:30, 7:15
and 10 pm. Stage: 12:45, 3:30,
6:15 and 9 pm. v
Colombia—“ Quo Tadis”; 11:35
am.. 2:40, 5:45 and 8:55 pm.
Dupont—“ Bonnie Prince
Charlie”; lf2o, 3:25, 5:25, 7:30
and 9:35 pm.
Keith’s—“ Bend of the River”;
11:45 a.m., 1:45, 3:50, 5:50, 7:50
and 9:55 pm.
Little—“La Ronde”; 5:30, 7:05,
8:40 and 10:20 pm.
Metropolitan—" Retreat, Hell”;
11:30 am., 1:30, 3:30, 5:35, 7:35
and 9:40 p.th.
Ontario—“ Death of a Sales
man”; 1:20, 3:30, 5:40, 7:50 and
10 pm. »
Palace—“ Viva Zapata”; 11 am.,
1:10, 3:20, 5:30, 7:40 and 9:50 pm.
Fix—All Laugh Show: 2, 4:30,
7:00 and 9:25 pm.
Playhouse “Five Fingers”;
10:40 a.m.. 12:50, 3, 5:10, 7:20
and 9:40 pm.
Plaza “The Lavender Hill
Mob”; 10:55 a.m., 12:45, 2:40, 4:30,
6:25, 8:15 and 10:15 pm.
Trans-Lux "Two Tickets to
Broadway”; 11:30 a.m., 1:30, 3:35,
5:35, 7:35 and 9:40 pm.
Warner—“ Bugles in'the After
noon”; 11:45 am.. 1:45, 3:50, 5:50,
7:50 and 9:55 pm.
AMUSEMENTS. AMUSEMENTS. AMUSEMENTS. AMUSEMENTS. AMUSEMENTS.
■ ■ < l I l * J | | k
AD
Peter Bull • Theodore Bikel • Walter Botell • Peter Swanwkk • Richard Mamer s,art * TOMORROW
Produced by S. P. EAGLE • 'Directed by JOHN HUSTON /> iffilai ««
Director of Photography JACK CARDIFF* Based on the novel =|/^r JMm I MW h
"THE AFRICAN QUEEN"» t. $. FORESTER pH L#l WE
Adapted fir the screen by JAMES AGEE JOHN HUSTON U Fat 13th • Open 10:45
A HORIZON-ROMULUS PRODUCTION • Released thru'United Artists
Ends Today • PALACE • MARLON BRANDO • JEAN PETERS “VIVA ZAPATA!”
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