Death of a Salesman
No matter how many times one sees Death of a Salesman,it continues to yield new meanings.In this version,Willy,Biff,Linda and Happy all struggle mightily with change.Arthur Miller in Salesman in Beijing tells the Chinese actors working on the play,"The salesman motif is in some great part metaphorical; we must all sell ourselves,convince the world of a persona that perhaps we only wished we possessed." Willy goes to extreme measures to be accepted by others and counsels his son to pay attention to appearances and making a good impression.But,of course,this comparison strategy only leads to immense disappointment.Willy eventually comes to see himself as a failure and even senses that he is a stranger in his own family.Volker Schlondorff draws out fine performances from the entire cast,especially Dustin Hoffman and John Malkovich ''Help him!'' he yells as his father collapses at the restaurant - only to melt instantly into a blurry,tearful plea of ''Help me!Help me!''
